Hearts Searching for Home
by hot4booth
Summary: Sonny left his husband, daughter and ex-boyfriend in Salem to escape the confusing emotions he was facing. As unexpected things happen in their little town, Paul and Will bond while trying to make sense of it all. Just as they begin to think they have a handle on life again, Sonny returns to Salem expecting things to be the same. Full summary with chapter one.
1. Chapter 1

**Hearts Searching for Home**

 **Summary:** Sonny left his husband, daughter and ex-boyfriend in Salem while he went to Europe to work for his uncle and to escape the confusing emotions he was facing. As more unexpected things happen in their little town, Paul and Will bond while trying to make sense of it all. Just as they begin to think they have a handle on life again, Sonny returns to Salem expecting things to be the same. How will Sonny fit into the new family dynamics? How will Sonny, Will and Paul know when their hearts are in the right place?

 **CHAPTER 1**

Will begrudgingly kept attending his counseling appointments with Dr. Lewis after Sonny left, mostly because he needed someone to talk to. He preferred not to let his whole world know that Sonny had left and start pestering him with blame. It had been almost two weeks and so far he'd been able to make believable excuses to his grandmothers about why he wasn't out and about and Abigail was too wrapped up in her own problems to notice. Well, she noticed, but it was easy to redirect her back to thinking of herself, her misguided plans with the man she professed to love and the baby she was carrying. So far, he was off people's radar. Apparently, Paul, Adrienne and Justin weren't talking either since he even Grandma Kate was alright with the occasional phone call. She seemed a bit distracted these days, too. Grandma Marlena and John had Uncle Eric to take care of after his ex-girlfriend, Serena, was murdered in the park. The same park where Sonny had been stabbed. The same park Sonny was in because he was looking for him. But he had to admit, as uncomfortable as it was to think about all the things that went wrong in the past, he did feel better afterwards. It was like a small piece of the weight hanging on him had been lifted each week. Maybe someday he would feel free and independent again. God knew Arianna needed a more confident dad.

Arianna. She knew something wasn't right the night Sonny left. She was a smart little girl. By the third night, she wasn't able to fall asleep without seeing pictures of Sonny. So he made a scrapbook of Sonny and Ari that told a story like the one he made for Sonny the day they got engaged. Will cried while making it, but he would do anything for is daughter.

"What I don't understand," explained Will to Dr. Lewis, "is how Sonny could love and want to marry two people who are so different from each other."

"Maybe he fell in love with you because you were so different than the one he couldn't have. I doubt Sonny was lying when he told you that he had never loved anyone the way he loved you. Maybe it's not a comparison."

"That's what Sonny claims. But I don't get it."

"If the two of you are different, maybe he doesn't love you more than Paul. Maybe he loves you differently."

"Loved. Not loves."

"And you're sure of that."

"I haven't heard from him in almost two weeks. Adrienne sends me pictures for Arianna to see of him."

"So you think that means he's stopped loving you." Will only nodded. "When do you think the change started? Was it before or after Sonny found out about you and Paul?"

Homework. There was always homework when he left counseling. And he found the best time to do it was while running. He could release his angry and frustrating emotions through physical assertion while increasing endorphins to combat depressing thoughts.

Will thought back to the first time he saw Paul after Sonny left for Europe. Paul was conveniently busy with an on location photo shoot for the next two days, but he pounced when he got the chance.

"When I reminded him of Paul," Will said to himself as an answer to Dr. Lewis's question.

 _"_ _Why are you here? I've had enough of your apologies, enough of your schemes and interferences and enough…"_

 _"_ _Interferences?" scoffed Will as he pushed his way past Paul and into his hotel room. "You've got to be kidding me. Your sense of entitlement is as strong as your arm. I'm not the interloper, Paul. You are. You have been since you got to Salem."_

 _"_ _You weren't even here. You were in L.A."_

 _"_ _Working."_

 _"_ _You left Sonny."_

 _"_ _Not forever. And what right do you have pointing fingers at me. You pushed Sonny away for your job. You made your decision four years ago."_

"Holy shit!" thought Will. In Sonny's mind, I was going to choose my career. He thought I wasn't coming back because it was more important than him. I reminded him of Paul. Even if Paul hadn't been in town, that was a strong emotion of fear that never left him.

 _"_ _I'm done apologizing. You've been trying to get Sonny back for months. Have you apologized for any of it? You can't just expect everything to go back to the way it was because you still love Sonny."_

 _"_ _I know! My God, I know. Why did it have to be you? Why did you have to be Sonny's husband? Ever since the day I found out, I've been torn between wanting Sonny back and upset at hurting you. I never meant to hurt you, Will."_

 _A look of disbelief colored Will's face. "But you knew Sonny was married. What difference did it make who?"_

 _"_ _Because I convinced myself that Sonny's husband didn't matter. That his husband wasn't good enough for him. I didn't believe him when he told me he married the man he was meant to be with. I probably could have continued to deceive myself, but the thing is, I met and got to know you as just Will. Not Will, Sonny's husband_."

" _I'm not good enough, though. That's why I resorted to lying. But_ _you are so willing to point out my schemes and you've had the biggest one going."_

 _"_ _Excuse me?"_

 _"_ _You've been playing the saint, pretending to step back when all you were doing was waiting for our marriage to break up. And now, now you are trying to play your game with me."_

 _"_ _What game do you think I'm playing, Will?"_

 _"_ _Pretending that you have a positive opinion of me."_

 _"_ _Why would I have to pretend that? Wait. Let's back up. I wasn't playing a game with Sonny. I really wanted things to work out for the two of you. I told myself that if I loved Sonny, I would want him to be happy with whoever he wanted. And eventually, I told myself that he was just a friend. And I believed it until… you called me out on it. Next thing I knew, Sonny was telling me he didn't want to use me and he was leaving for Europe."_

 _"_ _What?"_

" _We both pushed him away. Are you happy? I'm admitting I had something to do with Sonny leaving. But this is also on you."_

 _"_ _I've always been insecure. I've done some dumb shit through the years. I survived my stupidity, I survived Bryan and Brent, I survived Adrienne begging Sonny to leave me and I even survived Victor's thugs and threats, but it is you that is threatening my marriage."_

 _"_ _I'm not a threat."_

 _Will lost it. He fell on the bed in a fit of laughter that spiraled out of control._


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Paul was leaving the Salem Inn when he saw Will running by. He hadn't seen Will in nearly two weeks since their confrontation. He was worried about him but thought it best to give him space.

His mind wandered to that emotionally charged day. He was shocked by Will's laughter that eventually turned to tears. He actually wondered if it was the first time he allowed himself to cry like that because Arianna was nearby. After setting a box of tissues on the bed, Paul quietly left the room to give him some privacy and when he came back a half an hour later, he found Will asleep. Will probably wasn't sleeping well, either. Paul simply covered Will with an extra blanket and left again. When he returned later after having dinner at the pub, Will was gone.

He wanted to ask John or Kate how he was doing, but he really wasn't sure how many people knew Sonny left. They hadn't said anything to him. Someone had to know by his absence at TBD, but again, he didn't ask and he rarely went there.

Sonny. He hadn't heard from Sonny since he left for Europe and was surprised that he was getting used to it instead of mourning. He suspected it was because he knew he could never have Sonny and not having him around was making it easier to move on. Will was right; he should have just stayed in San Francisco for everybody's benefit.

Although he hadn't heard from Sonny, he assumed Sonny talked to Will because of Arianna. But before he could think more about Will and Arianna, he found himself at the door of TBD for his meeting with Kate.

Kate looked to be having an intense conversation with Chad DiMera. But when wasn't Kate being intense? He waited at the bar for them to finish, but he was close enough to hear them talk.

"It had to hurt being disowned, but you're really better off without being manipulated by Stefano."

"What makes you think I was being manipulated?" countered Chad.

"Okay, he was trying to manipulate you, you weren't following orders and I'm guessing that's why Stefano sent you packing. Am I close?"

"As I've said before, you don't need to be concerned about Stefano and me. I can take care of myself," answered Chad avoiding the question.

"Well, it's good to see you spending more time here at TBD, you know, since you _are_ a co-owner. It's nice seeing that Sonny is getting a break. Will and Arianna must be thrilled."

"Right," Chad responded with no emotion and walked away to attend to other patrons.

She turned to Paul who she knew heard every bit of it. "And I hope you've stayed away. You have that hot new guy to focus on."

"I'm not focusing on anyone, but I would like to focus on this ad campaign."

"All serious today," said Kate while rolling her eyes. Kate opened the portfolio containing all the photos of Paul from the photo shoot. "You are very photogenic. What do you think of them?"

Paul shrugged his shoulders and said, "They look fine to me. Not sure it was necessary to have my shirt off in this last set. Who puts on cologne to go play sports or simply exercise?"

"Trust me. The women will love it."

"We're not selling this product to women."

"You don't think women buy cologne for their men, or in your case, a man buying cologne for you? Then the shirtless photos are perfect. Now, the next step is to choose three or four photos for an interview."

"An interview?"

"Yes. I've contacted a few publications. Sonix would be my first choice since they got the exclusive from Will. This time though, I think we should request a different journalist."

"I'd rather go with Will. He already knows my history. A new journalist would try and get a different story than the cologne."

"I see what you're saying, but that would also give you an excuse to drop by the apartment to see Sonny."

"That won't happen."

Kate looked at him suspiciously.

"Listen. I suggest you ask Will what he thinks about this article, but don't call him. Do it in person."

"Why? What aren't you telling me?"

"Just go see Will. Are we done?"

"For now."

~ Thank you so much for the comments on my first chapter. I haven't written in a few years, so they are very encouraging. ~


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Will was surprised when he heard a knock on the door just as he was starting to read Arianna her bedtime story and "Sonny book." He picked her up, went to the door and found Grandma Kate on the other side bearing gifts.

"Grandma! What is this?"

"Well, Sweetie, I haven't seen you and this darling girl in way too long."

"What have I said about not spoiling her?"

"Oh, you said that? I guess I don't remember such ridiculous things."

Will snorted.

Kate put down her purse and the gifts bags and turned to hold Ari. "What do you have here?" she asked looking at the book about Sonny in Arianna's hands.

"Daddy Sonny," Arianna managed before giving a big yawn.

"Someone's tired," Will said relieved he had an immediate excuse to steer the conversation away from Sonny. "Do you mind if I read to Ari and put her to bed? Opening presents right now would probably get her worked up and wide awake again."

"Of course! Then we can talk because I brought something for you, too."

Will's eyebrows rose an inch. "Good or bad?" Will asked suspiciously.

"Career lifting opportunity," was all she would say.

"Okay, okay. I'll be right back."

When Will reappeared in the living room, Kate was quick to point out the absence of Sonny.

"He's out," he responded evasively. "Great time for us to talk. So what was so important you wanted to see me tonight?"

"I have a new story for you. For you and Sonix Magazine. Actually, I've already talked to Zoe."

"Really? She hasn't said anything to me."

"That's because originally I thought another writer should do the story. I still have my reservations…"

"You have doubts about my writing?"

"No! No, that's not it."

"And…"

"It's about Mad World's new product line for men."

"You want _me_ to write another article featuring _Paul_ ," Will stated in disbelief rather than asked. "Why would you want me to do that?"

"Actually, it's Paul that wants you to write the article."

"Paul. Doesn't make sense." Will shook is head. "He hates me."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, he has reason to."

Kate laughed. "I think that should be the other way around." But Will looked guilty. "Alright, what did you do this time?"

"That guy, Derrick, the one that you met in Paul's hotel room… I gave him information that would help him with Paul. Just some notes about little things that didn't make it into the article. Nothing confidentially damaging. I swear. But he was mad when he figured it out! He said I have no scruples. So yeah, I don't understand why he would want me to write this article."

"Well, he actually has a sound and legitimate reason. He's concerned that a new writer would steer the article back to his baseball career ending and his sexuality instead of the product. You've already done that article. There's no ulterior motive for you so you would stick to the objective."

Will was quiet as he listened to his grandmother explain why Paul once again requested him. He couldn't ignore the truth about what would probably happen if one of his colleagues wrote the article. And he didn't want Paul to have to go through that.

"Don't say no right away. Talk to Sonny about it."

Will's expression turned to one of panic for a split second, but it didn't go unnoticed.

"Where is Sonny by the way? I thought when Chad was giving him a break from TBD that he would be spending more time with you and Ari."

Will's eye watered and he pursed his lips the way he always does when he's trying to hold back his emotions.

"Will?" Kate reached over and lay a reassuring hand on his arm. "What's happened?"

"He's gone Grandma. Sonny left."

"When? Where? For how long?" Kate looked as devastated as Will at this moment. Until Paul came to town, she thought, and told anyone who would listen, that Will and Sonny were the happiest couple in Salem.

"About two weeks ago. He went to Europe to help Uncle Victor with his clubs there."

"That bastard," growled Kate referring to Victor, "hasn't said a thing to me. Or Justin for that matter." Kate was truly perturbed. She thought just about everybody's business was her business.

"Oh sweetie," she suddenly turned soft once again. "How long will he be gone?"

"He said he didn't know. It could be a couple months or never."

"Why would he do this?"

"He was tired of my schemes. Everyone warned me… you, Grandma Marlena, Dad, Paul… You don't need to lecture me. I've been doing a good enough job of that myself."

"I'm not judging you. And I think he'll come back."

"What makes you think that?"

"He didn't choose Paul over you like you've feared he would. He probably needed to relearn to be his own man and confident of his choices and decisions in life before he can recommit himself to you after everything that has happened."

"Have you been watching romantic movies again?"

Kate barked out a short laugh. "I haven't had time for that. Besides, that's more realistic than romantic. Relationships are hard work. Not many people get them right as you have seen all too much."

Kate redirected the conversation. "How are you and Paul dealing with Sonny leaving? I mean, how are you getting along?

"We don't talk. We like to blame each other. It's easier, honestly."

"Do you think writing this article is something you would be able to handle?"

"I don't know. When do I need to give you an answer?"

"By the end of the week." Will nodded in understanding. "Can I ask you one more question?"

"Why not? Ask away."

"What could have possibly been in your interview notes with Paul that would help a man seduce Paul? And why would that kind of information even be written down or recorded in the first place?"

Instead of answering, he urged his grandma not to tell anyone about Sonny. He didn't want a sudden barrage of people coming to point blaming fingers at him. A gradual outing would be easier for him.

"I agree," Kate admitted. "You were outed in the paper about being gay. You were outed in the paper about the indiscretion with Paul. Three strikes and you're out."

"Really, Grandma Kate?"

"Sorry. You know I love you and always support you." She gathered her belongings and hugged Will before leaving.

Will plopped himself on the couch and considered sleeping there instead of his own bed again. It was just too painful.

A few blocks over, Paul was still awake in his hotel room thinking about the upcoming Mad World article that he wanted Will to write. Would he accept the job? He had a lot of reasons to turn it down, but he hoped he wouldn't. After a couple of drinks, Paul drifted off to sleep thinking about the first interviews Will and Paul did several months ago.

A/N: Your comments mean so much to me! Thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** My "H" key is acting up so if something appears funny that may be it. I try and catch all the missing "h"s, but I miss sometimes. The funniest one so far was "Victor's thugs and threats" said "Victor's thugs and treats."

 **CHAPTER 4**

Paul dried off after his shower and wrapped the towel around his waist with about ten minutes to spare before room service arrived. For the hundredth time, he thought about how he really needed to find an apartment. Although, that would mean he'd have to learn to cook. Staying in shape meant cooking healthy, not quick and easy. He would have to look for some community classes that may be available. While eating breakfast, he got the text he was waiting for from Kate. Will was considering the article and would have an answer by the end of the week. Well, at least he didn't turn down the assignment flat.

~OXOXO~

"I don't have an alibi. I don't even remember what I did the rest of the night." Chad was explaining to Will what had been going with the recent murder investigation of his uncle's ex-girlfriend. While Will was relieved his uncle had a solid alibi, he didn't realize his friend had anything to worry about. "There were witnesses that saw me getting frisky and apparently Serena slapped me. I was pretty wasted."

"I can't believe Rafe and Justin are pushing this. You're not your father," insisted Will. "The DiMera name doesn't make you guilty. I'll talk to Rafe myself. And my dad."

"I can't ask you to do that."

"You didn't ask. I'm offering. I want to help. Sonny and I owe you."

"First of all, you don't owe me anything. Sonny deserved a break. But if you're dead set on helping me, you could help me with the books. You're great with numbers."

"Nice choice of wording. " _Dead set_.""

"Asshole," he said under his breath in a sarcastic tone that had both men chuckling a bit.

"I'm out of the loop with Sonix. Do you have any assignments right now? Do you even have time for this?"

"I'm in between assignments, but Grandma Kate wants me to write a promotion piece for her new product line for men. I haven't said yes or no."

"That could be interesting."

"Don't start," Will warned.

"I'm just saying there's at least curiosity and attraction still there. You know I saw it on the basketball court."

"So much for not starting anything," Will muttered.

Chad had a twinkle in his eye that annoyed Will.

"Obviously, you're not going to be any help with making an objective decision."

"Why you? Does Paul know this is a possibility… you writing the article?"

"Yes. Actually, he asked that I write it."

Chad looked like the cat that caught the canary.

"It makes sense," defended Will. "I won't try and get unnecessary information that is invasive and was already covered in the last article. He's moving on from baseball. There's more about him than his sexuality. You know?"

"Sounds like you already made up your mind."

"No. I need to talk to Paul first. I need to get a sense of what his attitude is about it. Even if he feels safer with my questions, will he be comfortable around me as it's conducted considering all that's happened?"

"I don't think that's going to be a problem," assured Chad.

"Chad…"

"I'm being serious. I hear people talk. It comes with the job."

"So what you're saying is that you're nosy."

"I'm not as bad as T. He's a gossip. I've caught him a few times."

"So Miss Busy Body, what have you heard?"

Chad gave him the evil eye. "I can still take you down. Easily."

Will shook his head and rolled his eyes. He leaned back in his chair, crossed is arms and propped his feet on the desk top to show a non-fazed attitude.

"Before you talk to him, you should know that he doesn't seem to be able to stay mad at you. He doesn't hold a grudge. If he did, he wouldn't be defending you to other people."

Will looked skeptical.

"Meet here in the TBD office. That way, it's neutral ground that's private, and since it's not at your own office, he doesn't get the impression it's a done deal. In the meantime, I'm going to a meeting with my lawyer, Aiden Jennings."

Will was already sending a text to see if Paul was available.

"Look, I know you're going to do it. I'm going to take off. So good luck. I know you and Sonny think he's hot, but maybe you shouldn't sleep with the guy this time."

"Tell me again why we're friends?"

"It's my charm and good looks."

Will barked out a laugh. "You're not my type."

"I'm hurt." Chad put a hand over his wounded heart. "But you definitely have a type."

"Excuse me?"

"Athletes: Rock climbers, baseball players, Salem U track stars… what was his name? Nate?"

"Neil. Of course, you would know about him. What's a juicy story without digging into the alibi's past? Didn't have to be pertinent to the story."

"See. That's why you're the perfect man for the article."

Chad opened the office door to leave and found himself face to face with Paul Narita.

Paul looked at the stunned faces and quickly gave an explanation. "I was already here to get a coffee to go. Caught me at the right time."

"Yeah, great timing. How, how much of that did you hear?" asked Will. Chad took off quickly.

~OXOXO~

A/N: Happy holiday weekend to my U.S.A. readers! And thank you for the wonderful comments :)


	5. Chapter 5

_Chad opened the office door to leave and found himself face to face with Paul Narita._

 _Paul looked at the stunned faces and quickly gave an explanation. "I was already here to get a coffee to go. Caught me at the right time."_

 _"_ _Yeah, great timing. How, how much of that did you hear?" asked Will. Chad took off quickly._

 **CHAPTER 5**

"Uh, Neil is the guy who helped you get cleared of a crime. Chad thinks you should be the one writing the article."

"Chad has lots of opinions and he shares too many of them. Let's figure out if this is even possible."

Will sat down at Chad's desk and Paul sat across from him. The brief silence was met with relief for Will that Paul didn't hear everything his big-mouthed friend had said. Paul was relieved he got out of that awkward situation quickly. He would have to think about what he heard at a later time. _"…maybe you shouldn't sleep with the guy this time… you definitely have a type…. athletes_ " He needed to stay focused. Sonny's husband was off limits.

"Writing the article would require trust that you regrettably no longer have in me."

"Whether you regret giving away personal information because it made me feel used or if it's because you got caught, it won't get in the way. Sonny is no longer between us. I don't see him. I have no contact with him. You have no reason to micro analyze everything I do. We can keep it professional and I'll be more careful about giving you my personal thoughts, fears… and regrets. I got too close before and gave you more information than I've ever given to any other journalist. That parts on me. Won't happen this time. I'll be more cautious."

"But you still don't trust me."

"I don't trust any journalist. I have to remember that's who you are. I'll draw the line. I forgot about that last time. I was lonely. I admit it. And I was facing the end of my baseball career. I let you get too close. I won't step over that line. I promise."

Will felt a little pang of disappointment and regret.

"Despite all of that, you're a damn good writer. And you won't probe subjects you already covered."

"It is called " _The Man by Behind the Name, Narita_ _by Mad World,_ " but there's more about you than baseball and your sexual orientation. We'd focus on what you're doing now. What kind of personality you have in normal everyday life. Basically, the audience just wants to know how cool you are."

"And do you think I'm cool, Will?" Paul already slipped into his former flirtation with him. Will raised an eyebrow and Paul internally scolded himself. It was time to redirect the conversation.

"So will you do it?"

"So you haven't talked to Sonny?"

"You haven't asked him or you just don't trust him to tell you the truth?" Paul's familiar annoyance started coming back. He wouldn't mistrust Sonny if they were together.

"We… we haven't talked." Why evade the whole truth by only telling him he hasn't asked? He didn't think Sonny was coming back.

"What?" That's not possible, thought Paul.

"Does that give you hope again?" Will didn't think he was coming back to Paul either. Sonny was running. It's what he does when faced with being hurt by those he loves… or thinks he loves.

"He hasn't talked to Arianna?" Paul wasn't sure how he felt about that. It was shock mixed with annoyance, concern and confusion.

After a few moments, Will slightly shook his head, eyes downcast, while whispering "No."

"Wow. I feel like a jerk. Here I am worried about myself and what some unknown journalist will ask and write about me and you have a daughter who is clearly too young to understand why she can't see her other daddy. And I'm a reminder of that. I'm sorry I've put you in this position. I'll tell Kate to find someone else." Paul got up to leave.

"Wait."

Paul turned around, disappointment written on his face.

"I'm going to have to get used to you being around. Your dad is married to my grandmother." The mood began to change.

"Small world," Paul said with amusement.

"Yeah, that makes you my step-uncle."

"That sounds incestuous."

Will laughed. Paul liked seeing him smile.

"It was only one time, we're not blood related, but yeah, it's kinda crazy. At least we won't have to think about it since it won't happen again."

Both men wondered why that felt so depressing.

"That means holidays. Wait until you see Thanksgiving. We fill up the whole Brady Pub!"

"Seriously?" Paul smiled. "That's amazing. My grandfather, mother and I don't really celebrate Thanksgiving. We focus more on Japanese social customs and holidays."

Will nodded in understanding.

"Are there a lot of kids running around for Ari to play with?"

"Sometimes. I have two sisters and a brother still in elementary school."

"Wow! That's an age gap."

"I'll say." Will laughed. "I was an experienced diaper changer when Ari came along."

Paul started to realize he didn't know much about Will. He assumed he was immature because of his age and scheming when really he was probably more ready for a family than Sonny was.

"And Sonny?"

"Had no idea what he was doing." Will laughed at the memory of watching Sonny change her diaper. "But he did deliver her."

"What?! No way!"

"In a shed. On an island. Long story," Will simply said as if it was no big deal.

"Where were you?"

"Getting shot."

Paul shook his head, unable to comprehend such wild events. "I get the feeling nothing is easy with you."

"I'm Sami Brady's son. Drama is required."

Paul's next thought was that Sonny didn't give up adventure in his life. He just traded one kind for another.

"Look what just happened. We just had a normal conversation," Will realized. "We even mentioned Sonny without yelling at each other."

"You're the one that's usually doing the yelling. It takes a lot for me to lose my temper, but you're good at pushing me to the edge."

"I'm also good at pushing for answers. Are you sure you're ready for me to do another interview with you?"

Paul narrowed his eyes. "Game on."

 **~OXOXO~**

A/N: So what did you think of them taking this first step at getting past their arguments?


	6. Chapter 6

A/N 1: I know nothing about video games, but I do know that Freddie Smith loves Mario Kart. So, I went with that. LOL.

A/N 2: I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter published. I hope you like it. I've been having difficulty with it and I'm just not sure if I like it. The good news is the next chapter is easier.

 **CHAPTER 6**

Two days later, the babysitter called in sick, Ari had been sick for three days (the doctor said it was just a virus and it could take 7-10 days to run its course) and Will was starting to feel the beginning signs of a cold, too. Will was hoping to be able to reschedule explaining, "I'm not at the top of my game. I might not be able to get much from you."

"That's what I'm counting on. Or… I might end up being sympathetic depending on how sick you are." If Will could see Paul right then, he would see his familiar teasing smirk. "Why don't I come over with some chicken noodle soup, say from Brady's Pub, come over and while you feed that cold, you can ask me some questions."

"I never can turn down my Great-Grandma Caroline's soup. I usually go with her famous clam chowder, but that's not what I need right now."

"The Horton Town Square is named for your ancestors AND you're related to the Bradys? Grandma Kate is my boss. Grandma Marlena is married to my dad. Anyone else I might meet that I should be warned about?"

"I don't think you need to worry about the police department. You're the last person I expect to break the law even though your saintly image is just an act."

"Ouch! Maybe I should skip Grandma's soup."

And so that's how Paul ended up at the apartment. And that's how Will ended up berating himself at how easily he was persuaded to having Paul in his home again. The very place he never wanted him to be. It was just a few months ago that they stood right in the spot that Will was standing when Paul knocked him out.

At least he brought the soup which he shared with Arianna before putting her down for a nap. Paul was amused with Ari's antics playing with the soup and wearing more of it than eating it. While Will was cleaning her up and putting her down for her nap, Paul laid out the promo photos of him on the coffee table and spotted the video game connected to the TV. Once again Paul thought about moving out of the damn hotel and into a place of his own. The newest game system was on the top of the list with a large screen TV. Priorities!

"Seriously?" asked Will. "I thought you were here to be interviewed, not to play video games."

"Do you know how long it's been since I played Mario Kart?"

"Fine, but I'm still turning on this recorder and asking questions."

Will caught a glimpse of Paul's promo photos and rolled his eyes. Just what he expected.

"Alright, here we go. Why did you decide to work with Mad World?"

"Really Will? That's what you're going to start with?"

"That's why we're doing this interview." Will sort of snorted. "Make something up if you want."

"This is not an opinion piece. You're not saying anything about Jon or Sonny regardless of what you think."

"So, your answer is…"

"They made an offer I couldn't refuse; my profit shares go directly to charities of my choosing. I chose PFLAG, Special Olympics and an organization that provides sports funding for inner city schools."

"Right. Okay, next question."

Paul put the game on pause. "You don't like my choices?"

"They're perfect, just like your image."

"What is it about my image that you don't like? I remember when you were encouraging me to use my image to help other people accept their sexuality."

"That was before you tried to steal my husband and convinced half of Salem you were the man for Sonny instead of me."

"I don't even know half of Salem."

"Image. Yours is better than mine."

"Are you always putting yourself down? No wonder you're insecure."

"Next question," Will announced to side-step Paul's question. "How was the name decided?"

Paul laughed and went back to playing the video game. "You want some credit for that?"

"Maybe."

Will watched Paul play for a minute before suggesting what to do. "Oops. You should have listened to me. My turn." Will took the controls and Paul relaxed on the couch making himself at home.

"Do you plan on staying in Salem? Or moving to another Mad World location?"

"What do you want?"

"I think you're once again forgetting who's being interviewed."

Paul sighed. This was turning out to be harder than he thought. "I've been thinking of getting out of the hotel and finding a place of my own, but how permanent it would be, I don't know. There's been some promotional travel that will continue for a while. I'd like a place to call home, but the hotel is convenient. I don't have to cook and clean. I'm not against those things, but I admit, I can't cook. But I was thinking about taking a cooking class. Maybe make some friends while I'm at it. I could use some friends… Damn!"

"What?"

"I'm talking too much again. If anyone talks to me about taking a cooking class, I'll know who told them," warned Paul.

"I have no reason to talk to anyone about you anymore. You have nothing to worry about." Will reassured him. "You're a model and spokesperson for this product. You're used to being on display on the pitcher's mound. Did you ever imagine putting yourself on display in this way?" Will pointed to the pictures, specifically the shirtless beach photos, but he quickly went back to his game.

"I've already talked to Kate about how unnecessary the beach photos were."

"Who wears cologne on the beach?"

"I know! That's what I said. And to answer your question, no. I mean, I've had my picture taken by media before, but nothing like this. Do you think they're okay? The rest of them?"

"Sure," he answered Paul. _Absolutely_ , _why wouldn't they be?_ He thought to himself _._

Will was distracted from his thoughts when he heard his phone. It was a text from T.

TURN ON THE LOCAL NEWS

WHY?

JUST DO IT

"Fine," Will said out loud. He switched back to the TV source and turned to a local channel. "Oh no!"

"What? What's happening?" Paul sat upright to see the TV. "Another murder? Where? That looks like the park again."

"Oh my God! Two victims this time." Although, the media couldn't release the names, of course.

Will picked up his phone again and called Rafe who refused to give the name of the deceased victim, but one victim was still alive and it was his cousin."

"Oh my God," Will said again. Paul became worried for Will. "I know you're busy, but do you know if he's going to make it?" Will listened with increased panic. "Thanks." Will ended the call and looked dazed.

Paul decided he shouldn't ask specifics for fear of intruding but asked, "How can I help?"

"I… I don't really know."

"Whatever you need. Take your time to figure out what you need to do."


	7. Chapter 7

" _Oh my God," Will said again. Paul became worried for Will. "I know you're busy, but do you know if he's going to make it?" Will listened with increased panic. "Thanks." Will ended the call and looked dazed._

 _Paul decided he shouldn't ask specifics for fear of intruding but asked, "How can I help?"_

 _"_ _I… I don't really know."_

 _"_ _Whatever you need. Take your time to figure out what you need to do._ "

 **CHAPTER 7**

The first person Will saw when he stepped off the elevator at Salem University Hospital was Aunt Jennifer looking completely distraught in Aunt Maggie's arms. So, instead he went to see Maxine at the nurse's station to find out how his cousin, JJ, was doing.

"Oh, honey, he's still in surgery. He'll probably be there for another hour."

"Do you know what happened to him? How was he hurt?"

"Actually, his stab wounds are very similar to Sonny's. And he's doing just fine and home with you and your baby girl." Will felt a tinge of pain in his chest. "JJ will come out of this just fine. He has Dr. Jonas taking care of him and you know he is the best surgeon we have."

"But the other victim? It's too late?"

"I'm afraid not. Paige's wounds were too severe." Everyone could count on Maxine to give confidential information.

Will was thinking that's three victims in the same park in about a week, two fatal. Surely this would exonerate Chad from the first murder. He needed to talk to Aunt Hope or Grandpa Roman soon.

 **~OXOXO~**

About 45 minutes after Will left, Arianna came waddling out of her bedroom with a stuffed bunny and a book. She looked apprehensive and scanned the room for her dad.

"Hi, Arianna. Do you remember me? I'm Paul."

Arianna shyly nodded. "Where Daddy go?"

"He had to go visit someone who's sick, but he promised to be back soon. He misses you. What do you have there?" Paul pointed at the bunny and book in her hands.

"Bunny and Daddy Sonny."

"Hi Bunny." Paul shook the stuffed, pink bunny's paw. "It's nice to meet you."

Arianna giggled.

"Can you show me your book?"

Arianna nodded and Paul lifted her up on the couch to sit next to him. On the cover was a picture of Arianna and Sonny. There were cute stickers of hearts in all colors and their names spelled in alphabet stickers. Someone had obviously made this book especially for her.

"This is a book about you and Daddy Sonny?"

"Uh huh."

The first couple of pages were filled with pictures of Arianna as a newborn with Sonny, Will and who he quickly learned was Arianna's mother, Gabi, but most of the pictures throughout the memory book were of just Sonny and Ari. From Arianna's birth to her second birthday, it was beautiful and evident a lot of love was felt by the person who created it.

"Did your mommy make this for you?" Arianna shook her head. "Daddy Sonny?" Again, Arianna shook her head. "Daddy Will?"

"Uh huh."

Paul was impressed.

"Juice?"

"Show me the way, little princess." He lifted Ari off the couch and followed her into the kitchen.

 **~OXOXO~**

Will was in the waiting room comforting Abigail and talking with her and Ben when Clyde showed up. Even when he was speaking with sincerity, the guy creeped him out ever since Clyde threatened his family and him about his writing assignment of him. Thankfully, Grandpa Roman was just finishing talking with Aunt Jennifer and he got up to talk to him before he left.

"Just call me when you think JJ is up to talking." Roman said to Jennifer.

Clyde got to them before Will did and both he and Roman noticed Jennifer stiffen when she saw him.

"Mr. Weston, right now Ms. Deveraux needs some privacy while she waits for news of her son's health."

"Oh, don't you worry none," he spoke in the accent that was so foreign and unique to Salem. "We're practically family."

"So I've heard, but right now she's got permission to wait for him in recovery."

"That's mighty nice of the staff to give hospital employees special privileges. I'll just see you later, Ms. Deveraux."

After enough distance was between them, Jennifer thanked Roman. "Thank you, I do want to be with JJ as soon as possible."

Finally, Will got his chance.

"What can I help you with Will?"

"I can't help thinking about how there now have been three stabbings and that this would help Chad's defense. Surely, he can't be responsible for all of them, especially two attacks at one time."

"I know you and Sonny have been good friends with Chad DiMera, but I assure you that the cases are not related. Chad is still a suspect in Serena Mason's murder."

"How could you know that already?"

"Although this will be in the press soon, this is still confidential information."

"Okay…"

"J.J. was working undercover to help us catch a drug ring."

"How did that affect his ex-girlfriend?"

"Collateral damage. She unintentionally got involved with the wrong crowd and just happened to be in the right place at the wrong time."

"Wow, that's… How will J.J. handle that? I think he still loved her."

"I don't know. What I do know is that he'll need a lot of support from family and friends."

"Of course."

"And please keep this out of Sonix, Will. Let other media sources cover this. You've had enough experience writing about family and suffered from it."

"Don't worry, Grandpa. This isn't a story I want. I've learned my lesson."

 **~OXOXO~**

When Will arrived home, he found Arianna and Paul watching one of Arianna's favorite toddler shows on DVD.

"Oh man! This is my favorite and it's almost done," exclaimed Will with his special kiddy enthusiasm that made Paul laugh.

"Daddy!" Arianna quickly got up and ran to her dad who crouched down to hug his daughter with one arm while balancing a pizza in the other.

"That's smells delicious. I haven't had pizza in a long time."

"Well. It's time to splurge. You can run off the extra calories tomorrow. Hopefully, I will, too, depending on how I feel."

"How do you feel right now?"

"Not too bad. The cold medicine kicked in, but I'm feeling a bit drowsy. Hopefully, you don't come down with it."

"Nah, I'm made of steel."

Will rolled his eyes. "Just let me change Arianna and we'll be right out to eat."

Will couldn't contain his laughter at the sight of Arianna's diaper. Apparently, Paul was a novice. He was surprised the diaper had kept her dry while he was gone.

When he got to the kitchen, he grabbed three paper plates and cut up a slice into little pieces for Arianna without the pepperonis. He turned around to get Arianna ready and was surprised that Paul already had her in her booster seat. All he had to do was get a wet cloth to clean her fingers. He certainly wasn't expecting that.

Each of the guys grabbed three slices and sat opposite each other at the table with bottled water and milk for Arianna. Just like with lunch earlier in the day, it immediately felt strange having someone else sit in Sonny's spot. Well, it was just for today. Surely he could deal with it for one more meal.

Will filled Paul in on what had happened with the stabbings without including the reason behind J.J. and Paige's stabbings, only that it was suspected not to be related to the first one a few days earlier.

"It's strange that they were all so close to where Sonny was stabbed," Paul realized.

Knowing what he knew from his grandpa, Will dismissed it since he knew Sonny's assault wasn't drug related, but it was certainly a coincidence.

"Did the police ever get any new leads about Sonny's attacker?" asked Paul.

"No, the trail went cold rather quickly."

Just then, Arianna announced, "All done! Watch Pwetty, Pwetty Pwincess!"

"I think you've watched enough TV today, little girl. How about we play with your animals at the doctor?"

Arianna clapped wildly and Paul raised an eyebrow.

"What? You've never been a vet and wrapped bandages on a teddy bear?"

Paul laughed. "No, I definitely have not."

"Paw Pway!"

"Maybe on a different day, Princess."

" _Princess?_ " thought Will.

Ari pouted, but Will quickly distracted her by annoyingly washing her hands and face. "Go get all your animals ready," said Will and Arianna scampered away.

"Thanks for staying with her. How was she when she woke up?"

"She was unsure at first, but I met bunny and we looked at her Sonny book and she seemed fine after that."

"I'm relieved she wasn't afraid. Honestly, I wasn't sure how she'd react with things being so different around here."

"So, um, you made the photo book for her?" Paul asked carefully.

"Yeah, I don't want her to forget Sonny. I mean, Adrienne, Sonny's mom, has sent us a few pictures of Sonny in Paris, but I want her to remember him here at home."

"That's nice. I'm impressed with your creativity, by the way."

"It's actually sort of a hobby I picked up from Adrienne and my aunt, Kayla." Will started cleaning up as he explained. "It's not like I collect the stuff. My aunt just lets me rummage through her supply on occasion."

By this time, Paul was smiling like he wanted to tease him. But he held it in.

"Daddy! Daddy, where are you?"

"I think you're being called."

"I'm coming soon; I promise," Will called back.

"I better go. If you have any more questions, email me."

 **~OXOXO~**

It wasn't until Ari was in bed that Will noticed Paul left without his portfolio of Mad World photos. And as much as he hated himself for it, he picked them up to get a better look. The ones he liked best were the one of Paul and a female guest dressed formally as if going to an awards show, one of him dressed casually hanging out with some guys at a sports bar and then there were the shirtless photos displaying his tanned muscular body. There was one of him running on the beach at sunrise, one of him playing beach volleyball and one of him lounging with a fruity drink in a cabana. Will closed the portfolio and shook his head as if that action would rid his mind of the pictures of Paul. Only they resurfaced once in the shower and when he tried to sleep on the couch. It felt like such a betrayal even though he doubted Sonny would ever return to him. Paul was out of his league, Sonny's almost ex-fiancé and the guy he cheated with. Just about as wrong as a person could get. So, for the first time in over two weeks, Will slept in his and Sonny's bed to feel closer to him, the man he pledged his life to. Sonny was the man who deserved to be in his thoughts.

 **~OXOXO~**

 _Please let me know what you think of the progression of Will and Paul reuniting and of the murder sub-plot. Do you think Will will take Roman's advice and stay out of it?_

 _As always, thanks for reading!_


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I am so sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter written and published. The misery on Days has really taken its toll on my muse. RIP nbcdays' Will Horton (October 9, 2015). He still lives on in this fic.

 **CHAPTER 8**

When Paul walked into TBD two days after the newest attacks, he found Will at the bar talking with Chad. A newspaper was open and they were talking about the headline. By then, the whole town knew that the latest stabbings were related to a failed drug bust. And of course, the town pariahs were convinced that the DiMera and Kiriakis feud was back up and running.

"At least the heat is off of me for the murder of Serena Mason," Chad joked. Will and Chad explained to Paul about the past, including how Chad and Sonny were instrumental in making a peace treaty between the families. Will and Chad were convinced it wouldn't be broken as long as Maggie was still married and happy with Victor.

"Someone new must be operating down at the docks." Chad was convinced of it.

The man sitting nearby with his back to them went unnoticed. Underneath the cool façade was a seething anger that the attention needed to frame Chad DiMera was on the backburner and something needed to be done about it.

Kate sauntered in followed by Zoe.

Zoe beamed with too much enthusiasm. "I'm so thrilled our two gay heroes are working together again."

Kate rolled her eyes. "I know you want to sell magazines. I get it. But tabloid material is not factoring into it. Show some respect."

Paul hadn't sat down at their table yet and he loomed over Zoe. "And my love life better stay out of your magazine. I won't hesitate to get my lawyers after you."

"Damn! I was just joking with you. Everyone here needs to lighten up," Zoe pouted.

"Your intentions failed. Please try again," Kate answered sarcastically. Zoe needed to just shut her trap.

"And that goes for Will, too," added Paul.

Shocked, Will smiled gently and nodded in appreciation.

After reviewing the article and making some small revisions and final business agreements, Zoe peered at Will with new interest. "Now, as for your next assignment, I was thinking you could write about the recent tragedies."

"You mean the murders. Not happening."

"With your connections, it should be a breeze," Zoe responded with a wave of her hand." She turned to Kate thinking she would get her sympathy and endorsement. "Will is always so quick to reject ….."

"I've already promised Grandpa Roman that I wouldn't get involved."

Chad was just returning to the table to see if his patrons needed anything.

"Or, Zoe, you could interview me yourself. Say, at six for dinner?"

"Don't you have a club to run?"

"Look around. Not much business since the accusations were reported. I could use all the positive publicity I can get."

"How about I give you a rain check," she flirted with a wink. "Right now, I need to get back to the office." She stood up and turned to her left. "Will, we'll be in touch again soon." And just like that, she was gone. Chad sat down in the available chair.

"Ouch," said Kate. "Do you think it's the new image or were you a bad date last time?"

Chad glared at her, but she only laughed.

"I'd ask you out if you were my type. Sorry man." Paul mocked.

"Thank you, I think," replied Chad good-naturedly. "But you know who could use a night away from home?"

 _"_ _Oh no, he wouldn't,"_ thought Will. Chad slapped Will on the back. " _Yes, he would_."

"What's the name of the spot you used to go to, Will?"

"That's it. The Spot. But Ari needs me and I'm sure Paul has other people he would rather hang out with."

"No, I don't. I need to meet new people. Make new friends… new gay friends. No offense, Chad."

"None taken. So what do you say? Will you take my boy to The Spot?"

 **~OXOXO~**

Paul was nervous when he and Will left TBD. He felt like Will was being forced to go out with him. "You know, you are allowed to back out. It's not like this whole thing was planned; it just kind of happened."

"No, I want to go, actually. I need to stop isolating myself." " _Doctor's orders_ ," thought Will, but he didn't want to tell Paul that.

"Okay, as long as you're sure. Uh, what are you wearing?"

"Seriously, Paul?" Will asked with a slight chuckle.

"I wouldn't have asked if I find didn't want to know."

Will looked down at the clothes he was wearing.

"No."

"No, what?" asked Will.

"You should definitely change."

"Okay, I'll change, I guess. But it's not like it matters. Once people see you, Paul Narita, I'll be mostly unnoticed."

"That's ridiculous."

"Paul, you're famous."

"What… you think people are going to be asking for my autograph? Believe it or not, not everyone is a sports fanatic."

"Maybe not, but thanks for our, uh, past indiscretions, you were featured in the Salem Spectator."

"Okay, number one goal of the night, gain confidence. Your insecurity is becoming a thing of the past. Number two, stop comparing yourself to me. That's been an issue for far too long. Number three, meet new people. Number four, get buzzed and dance your ass off."

"Buzzed? Why not drunk?"

"Because you're not wallowing in your sorrows and you're not bringing home some random guy to make you feel better temporarily. You'll regret it in the morning."

"The hangover and the guilt."

"Exactly. Finally, we're on the same page."

"Maybe."

"Hopefully."

Will just nodded once as he stopped in the middle of the square ready to say goodbye and head toward home.

"So wear your best clubbing clothes and maybe we can meet back here at 8:00?"

"I'm good with that."

"In the meantime, I think I'll go clothes shopping."

A few hours later, Will was standing in front of his closet wishing he'd gone shopping, too. The first shirt he considered he was sure was the one he wore to his bachelor party. The second one he looked at was a gift from Sonny. His closet was full of things that reminded him of Sonny, with one exception… the tight dark blue jeans he wore last January. He purposely avoided them ever since the day Paul pealed them off of him. Paul was right; he remembered every single detail. Maybe this night wasn't such a good idea after all.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

This time of year, it was already twilight in Salem and not many people were window shopping in the Horton Square. There were mostly couples and groups of teens meeting up for the night. Paul had left his hotel room early to avoid staring at the time on the clock and went for a walk before getting to the town square a few minutes before eight o'clock. For what seemed like the hundredth time, Paul thought about moving. Maybe a house would be better than an apartment. Possibly even one that needed renovations to keep him busy. Not that he knew too much about such things, but it might be fun to learn alongside a construction worker he could hire. That would certainly keep him busy and occupied as well as make him feel productive and accomplished.

From his seat at one of the small table in the square, Paul was the one to notice Will first when he walked into view. Will was well known in this small town and one of its residents stopped Will at the edge of the square to talk which only gave him more time to let is mind wander. He was looking gorgeous in those tight jeans he hadn't seen in quite a while. It was paired with a burgundy button down shirt and a black leather jacket and shoes. He looked downright scrumptious. His thoughts reminded him of what he used to feel before he knew the real identity of Will Horton. Back when he thought he would actually be able to move on from his past with Sonny.

Suddenly, without warning, he found himself missing the excitement of being attracted to someone who was not only gorgeous, but to a man who was entertaining, compassionate and actually cared about knowing the real him. One that saw past his well-developed mask and his successful career and saw the potential he could be without being an athletic star. When he first got to Salem and found out Sonny was not only attached to another man but that he was married, he just couldn't believe it was true. When it sank in, he decided that his husband must be second best. He was determined to save Sonny and give him who he wanted first. He decided to make Sonny more fulfilled and happier, never mind that he was still in the closet. He reasoned that Sonny only married Will to fulfill his desire for a family.

He actually backed off for a while finding comfort in meeting Will for their interview sessions. He was so wrapped up in his friendship, his anxieties about his life changing after coming out and leaving Salem for good that he experienced some serious mixed emotions when he found out that his Will was actually Sonny's husband. On the one hand, he saw a new opportunity to get Sonny back. How could he still want Will after he cheated? He would never do that. Sonny would have to see he would make him happier especially now that he was out to the world. On the other and, he was beginning to realize that Sonny really had found a great man just like he said. He had gotten to know Will Horton before he knew he was the interloper to his and Sonny's happiness.

He actually felt sorry in a way for Will. He liked him, maybe more than liked him, but he was sadly willing to watch him suffer losing his husband. He didn't really want to see Will hurt so he kept checking up on him. It never occurred to him that this would not happen and he began to pursue Sonny harder. He wanted to be Sonny's savior; his knight in shining armor. Will was a great guy when not obsessed with controlling Sonny and scheming. When he got over it, he believed he would find another guy in no time. In fact, it still seemed unbelievable that he hadn't had a slew of men before Sonny. It was incomprehensible.

Oh yeah, the guys would be swarming him tonight. He might have to watch him carefully. He wasn't concerned about Will cheating and therefore hurting Sonny again. His marriage was likely done. And he wasn't rooting for Will to make another mistake either; Sonny had made no attempts to contact him since he went to Europe. But he knew how vulnerable Will was. He had little experience with seductive men that probably frequented this type of establishment. He would look out for him. He had to when he looked like _THAT_.

He was happy to have company going to the club. He didn't have any friends and felt uncomfortable going by himself. Despite everything that happened, he wanted to be friends with Will. He still liked his support and encouragement but didn't give much thought to why that was.

Suddenly, he saw Will was standing in front of him. Embarrassingly, Paul just stared at him.

 **~OXOXO~**

 _So much for trying to be early_ , thought Will.

Will looked at his watch noting the time and excused himself from an old acquaintance. He'd already noticed that Paul was waiting for him although he looked deep in thought. That described himself for the past hour, deep in thought.

What was he doing hanging out with the man who tried to steal his husband? The man his husband kept a secret? Maybe if they did truly become friends though, Paul would start feeling guilty about stealing his husband and by the time Sonny came back it would be more of a deterrent. And during this time, maybe he could help him find another guy for Paul. Not in a scheming way this time, but giving him the opportunity. Like tonight. It wasn't even his idea. All he needed was opportunity. A bigger sea to fish in. He figured out a reason for the night out together. He'd make it a mission. Operation Find Paul a Man.

Will walked toward Paul feeling better than he had an hour earlier now that he had a plan. From the looks of it, he wouldn't have a problem. Paul could wear old sweats and look good, but he was playing his A game with a tight black dressy casual knit top with the three buttons at the collar undone. Although sitting, he knew those jeans fit him snug in the ass. All of a sudden, Will wondered if he'd be flying solo at The Spot.

"Is speechless a good sign or a bad one?" joked Will. "Do I look okay this time?"

Paul shook his head and came into the present. "You look ready for clubbing." Paul stood up to go. "So, why don't you tell me what to expect at _The Spot_ on our way."

 **~OXOXO~**

When the guys walked up to the entrance, the bouncer asked for their IDs to determine which stamp they'd get, blue for drinking age, red for a minor. Normally, this would be a quick interaction, but the bouncer did a double take and then looked curiously between Paul and Will.

Will was thinking, " _Just great. He reads Sonix, The Spectator or both_."

Paul was thinking, " _Just great. I'm going to be signing an autograph tonight after all._ " He didn't necessarily mind, but he liked to be right and he told Will Horton that he wouldn't be attracting attention as a pro baseball pitcher.

Surprisingly, the bouncer didn't ask any intrusive questions or make any peculiar comments. Instead, he offered his assistance if we had any trouble with fans.

Paul looked at the large, muscular man's ID badge and addressed him by name. "Thank you, Connor." As Paul was returning his license into his wallet, he slipped a twenty to him. "It's always nice to have allies."

Connor stamped the back of their hands and the two friends walked into the loud club and into a night they wouldn't soon forget.

 **~OXOXO~**

A/N: _Happy Halloween! If you would like to reminisce past Halloweens with Will, Sonny & Arianna, you can see GIFs and screen caps on my tumblr ~ iheartwilson. Search hashtags "October 2012" and "October 2013."_

 _Let me know what you thought about their inner thoughts and perspectives on "hortia" and Sonny. What do you think might happen and who do think they'll see at The Spot? Any guesses?_


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: So I decided to give some credence to Paul not using the internet to find out Sonny was married before he got to Salem. If you're surprised by Will's dancing skills, remember him dancing with the stripper at the bachelor party ;) This chapter ended up writing itself and I was apparently just along for the ride. You will see a past Days' character from 2012 (Sorry to Neil fans; it's not Neil) and an important original character (OC) coming, but they're not in the picture yet. Until then, I give you Dave and Kyle…

 **Chapter 10**

An hour later, Paul rejoined Will on the outside deck of the club at their table in the corner.

"So what was that? Like selfie number 10?" asked Will clearly humored.

"Hey, at least I was right about one thing. I haven't been signing autographs."

"Welcome to the 21st century. You know those are already all over the internet, right?"

"What?"

Will rolled his eyes. "Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook, etc."

"You really think so? Already?"

"Phone apps, Paul." Will handed over his phone which was showing a picture of Paul with two gorgeous men on Instagram. "Do you even use your phone beyond talking, texting, and looking at sports stats?"

"Ha, ha. Very funny." Paul took a swig of his beer that was now room temperature and he grimaced slightly. "So, what happened to Dave and Kyle?"

"Dancing. Want to join them when you finish your drink?"

"We can right now, actually. This beer has gotten a little warm. I can throw your jacket in a locker if you'd like. I need to use the men's room anyway."

"Thanks, man."

Each guy went his separate way once returning to the inside of crowded club. Paul wondered how difficult it would be to find Will on the dance floor. As it turned out, it was Dave that he found standing at the edge of the crowd and before he had a chance to ask, Dave pointed at the cage. Paul's jaw dropped. First, it was from shock at seeing Will dancing seductively in it with Kyle. Next, he assumed Will must have been drinking more than he realized while he was spending time with fans.

"Damn it," muttered Paul. He was supposed to watch out over him. Dave looked at Paul with a smirk, but it went unnoticed because by that time Paul was only watching and thinking about how sexy Will looked. This crowd is going to be disappointed when they find out he's taken. The guy had moves! He wouldn't have guessed that.

As if reading Paul's mind, Dave spoke up. "Too bad he's married. I think Kyle would like to take him home."

"Not happening," Paul almost growled.

Dave only laughed. He and his best friend Kyle had a fun time getting to know a little bit about Will and Paul soon after they got there. There weren't any empty tables left on the deck and Kyle, the flamboyant extrovert, was bold enough to ask if Will and Paul would like some company.

Will and Paul learned that Dave and Kyle had been best friends since their Little League Baseball days. They didn't go to the same schools and their parents were always taking them here and there until they could drive. They both attended Michigan State majoring in Hotel and Restaurant Management and returned to the Chicago area to start a chain of bed and breakfasts together. Kyle had recently broken up with his boyfriend and Dave offered to go out and get drunk with him.

Dave and Kyle learned that Paul was the new face of Mad World's men's line and got some inside scoop on the new article coming out in Sonix Magazine. After explaining that Will's husband was out of town on business, Will had fun being the proud daddy by showing pictures of Ari on his phone.

"Don't worry. Their time in the cage is almost up."

"Have you ever danced in there?"

"No. I'm a decent dancer thanks to Kyle, but I'm not up for leading men on when I'm not interested."

"You have a boyfriend?"

"Girlfriend. You look surprised."

"You could have gone anywhere to support Kyle in his pursuit of getting drunk."

"Yeah, but the guy also needs to get laid. This is the place to be. Lots of gay men."

"Well, then he needs to stop hanging out with Will. He's not getting laid tonight."

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

"You've read the gossip."

"All over the internet for any sports fanatic to learn."

Paul closed his eyes and slightly shook head with it tilted up as if asking God why he allowed such professions like journalists and photographers to exist. He could have lived without knowing that was on the internet, no doubt with a thousand comments. This was the perfect example of why his manager encouraged his players not to spend time on the internet as a way to pass time… too many people with too many opinions on celebrities.

"He's lucky to have you as a friend."

"Trust me. The support goes both ways."

They saw Will and Kyle leave the cage, but it was a few minutes before they were in view again. A large group of dancers left the floor and Dave and Paul could see them dancing again.

Dave laughed. "It's MTV time. Let's go!"

"What the hell does that mean?" asked Paul as he followed Dave onto the dance floor toward Will and Kyle.

"Kyle's goal in life is to be in a music video. This…" Dave pointed at the other two men. "…is Kyle's latest routine that he's obviously talked Will into learning." Dave shook his head and rolled his eyes, but it was obvious that he was humored and even encouraged his best friend's dream.

Will immediately coaxed Paul into trying the dance moves, but Paul was very awkward and embarrassed because of it.

"Let's start with the basics. It starts with the hips. Watch me," instructed Will.

Paul was extremely turned on watching Will and wondered how to get out of there. Will held onto his hips and Paul gasped. Thankfully, it was too loud and Will was too drunk to notice.

"It's not twerking. It's like gliding. Think of it like sex."

"What did you say? Wait. No, I heard you." Paul was terribly flustered which was not something that often happened. Everything about the night was new.

"It's not a quickie jackhammer."

"You've had too much to drink, Will."

"Instead, think of it like making love in slow motion. Maybe we should ask the DJ to play the song."

"Oh my God! This song is just fine."

"If you think so." Will turned around quickly, looked over his shoulder and took Paul's hands in his and set them on his hips. "Watch and feel my hips and copy what I'm doing. When you've got the hang of it, we'll add the legs and then the arms."

Dave and Kyle were still nearby watching the scene unfold under the guise of Kyle teaching Dave his dance. Both were extremely curious about how the night would end for their new friends.


	11. Chapter 11

_Will turned around quickly, looked over his shoulder and took Paul's hands in his and set them on his hips. "Watch and feel my hips and copy what I'm doing. When you've got the hang of it, we'll add the legs and then the arms."_

 _Dave and Kyle were still nearby watching the scene unfold under the guise of Kyle teaching Dave his dance. Both were extremely curious about how the night would end for their new friends._

 **CHAPTER 11**

Paul started to feel like he was getting the rhythm of the movement, but he wouldn't say he was feeling comfortable. He'd never danced like that before much less in front of a group of people. People who he realized were starting to watch.

Will leaned back into Paul and looked up at him. "How does that feel?"

"How much did you have to drink?" _You're smell is intoxicating me._

"Stop worrying. I'm not going to have a hang-over."

Will turned around, wrapped himself onto Paul and laid his forehead on his shoulder. The sudden slower swaying began to make him sleepy. "But I might've taken some cold medicine a few hours ago. Probably not the best combination."

The cold. He'd forgotten about that. That was an added incentive to keep his lips off the gorgeous guy in his arms. " _Where did that thought come from?"_

Just as Paul was going to suggest they call it a night, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Thought you might want to know that there are amateur paparazzi interested in you," Dave said as he inconspicuously pointed to a couple of people a few yards away.

"Wonderful," said Paul.

"Already on the internet," Will replied with a smirk.

Paul rolled his eyes.

"And they probably aren't still pictures; they're probably videos."

"Do they want to show off they saw me at a gay bar or embarrass me by showing I can't dance?"

"Probably both."

Paul turned towards the people holding their phones out and waved with a big smile and then followed it with pitching an imaginary ball. Will laughed with the crowd.

Paul thanked Dave for the notice and Will asked him what happened to Kyle. Dave pointed behind him where they could see he'd become very friendly with a hot guy.

"How about one more drink before we leave?" Will asked Paul.

"I was going to suggest leaving soon, but are you sure you want one more drink?"

"Absolutely! Dave, what about you?"

"Sounds great to me. I was going to stick around for a while longer before determining if I needed to take Kyle home."

 **~OXOXO~**

"Well, we accomplished our goal," claimed Paul as they were walking back towards the town square.

 _Our goal. Not my goal. "Operation find Paul a man" failed. Of course, I spent too much time with him. What was I thinking_?

"You don't think Dave and Kyle would make good friends?" asked Paul after a few moments of silence.

"Sorry, I was thinking of something else. Yes, I think they are pretty cool. I'm glad we made plans to hang out with them again."

"You were pretty cool yourself actually. I like it when we're not glaring and yelling at each other."

"Yeah, well, you have to admit that we were different people when we met."

"Not different. Just hiding. Me and my closet. You and your marriage."

"I should have never listened to my editor." Paul didn't have to ask. Will was talking about not wearing his wedding ring during his interviews.

"You're still green. The more experience under your belt and you'll have the right to request things your way and expect to get them. I found that out in my baseball career.

"That would be nice."

"Talking about experience under your belt…"

"Seriously, Paul?"

"I can't help it. I saw you tonight in that cage. You were very comfortable there. I remember you saying that you've been there before. I'm guessing a lot. I don't understand how Sonny could have been your first. You should have had men lining up."

"I don't think so. Besides, I'm not into one-night-stands."

Paul's expression said it all. _Is he serious right now? What were we_?

"Okay, technically it was."

 _Technically_? thought Paul. _I thought the accompanying feelings were only one-sided._

"What's going on over there?" asked Will with surprised curiosity.

Paul looked where Will was watching a group of police officers taping off what he figured was a crime scene.

"You don't think…"

"It's another murder?" Paul finished for him.

"Let's get closer," suggested Will.

"Or we could just watch the news like everyone else."

"If I don't see any officers I know, I'll just go home. Promise."

"How about I walk you home considering there's a murderer roaming around?"

"What? I'm a big boy. And what about you? You'd still be walking home by yourself."

"I'll take a cab if it makes you feel better."

"It does. Come on. I just spotted my aunt."

As soon as Hope saw Will watching, she became concerned. "You shouldn't be here." Then she noticed his companion and lifted her brow. Aunt Hope was never subtle. She wanted to know what the hell Will was doing with Paul Narita.

From behind her, one of the officers was being unprofessional. "I bet it was that damn DiMera kid."

"Stevens, shut the hell up," they heard Rafe say. "We don't know a damn thing and there are spectators nearby."

"So there is another victim," sighed Will.

"Go home, Will. There's nothing you can do here." Hope sounded more empathetic rather than authoritative and that concerned Will so he was reluctant to leave.

"She's not family."

"But I know her, don't I?"

Hope sighed.

"Detective Brady?" An unknown officer approached. "No identification, wallet or phone. The suspect definitely staged it to look like a mugging. But this necklace was ripped off of her neck and probably dropped during the escape. There's a small chance there could be prints on the big locket."

"Okay. Bag it."

"That's Zoe's necklace."

Hope sighed again. "I'm sorry, Will. But there's nothing you can to do help right now. Although, if you've seen Zoe recently, it could be helpful to know her where abouts and contacts over the last couple of days."

"Actually, I saw her today. We both did."

 **~OXOXO~**

Will was very quiet the first few minutes on the walk home. He was busy thinking about earlier in the day at TBD when he was meeting with Zoe.

"Do you remember Zoe saying what she was going to be busy doing?" asked Will.

"No. Only that she couldn't see Chad because she had plans."

"Chad is going to be a suspect."

"He can be tied to all four victims?"

"No, only two. But that's enough when you're a DiMera. There's got to be something I can do to help."

"You told your grandfather you'd stay out of it."

"Zoe being murdered changes everything. Sonix should be reporting on the investigation of her death."

"Will, that doesn't mean that you should be the person writing it."

"I'm exactly the person who should be writing it. I'll be fair. Anyone else will just accuse Chad and be done with the story."

"Writing the story is one thing, but you said you wanted to do something to help. Are you planning on doing your own investigation?"

"It's possible. Depends on what I find."

"That's an investigation! Just be careful. And no scheming. This is a serial killer and scheming isn't going to just make people mad; it could get you killed."

"A little dramatic."

"Just the way you like it. Sami's son is how you explained it."

Will laughed. "You want to come in while you wait for the cab?"

 **~OXOXO~**

 _Thank you for the wonderful comments here and on social media sites! I'm so glad the cage was popular. I have Frankie Grande to thank for that idea._


	12. Chapter 12

To my American readers: Happy Thanksgiving!

Hopefully, I've shown that Will isn't just conveniently forgetting everything that's happened in order to further the horita ship. I've had concerns from readers about where this is going. Horita will happen. For how short or long it will be, you have to read to find out. But Sonny will return in a few chapters.

 **Chapter 12**

While picking up Ari the next morning to take her to the sitter for the day, Will gave Kate the heads up that she might be called in to the police station for questioning regarding Zoe's murder. Kate of course, was more interested in how the night went with Paul at The Spot. Will was vague, just saying that they met people they would be seeing again.

"Did Paul meet any potential boyfriends," she had asked.

"Not that I know of… unless he's interested in one of the fans he took selfies with."

"Pictures? I'll be searching Instagram."

Will shrugged, but he was secretly worried she might find a video of Paul dancing with him. Will had enough on his mind; he'd been reliving the night since he woke up that morning.

The first thing on his mind was how good it felt to be back in the club atmosphere and dancing. It'd been so long since he'd felt that free. But, of course, he quickly started remembering how close he got to Paul while dancing. Next, Paul and Will had more time together after Will got home.

~OXOXO~

The cab Paul was expecting was late because of a car accident. The driver was unconscious and it took extra time for the company to know what happened. It wasn't until the second time Paul called that he found out that another driver was on the way, but there was another call ahead of him. The company was so sorry for the inconvenience that they offered the ride with no expenses.

Will set down his game controller and announced he had the munchies. Soon they both had bottled water and Doritos. All was fine until Paul put the bag of chips on his lap while Will took his turn playing the video game. At the pause between levels, Will reached over without looking and attempted to grab some Doritos. But while he did that, he brushed up against Paul's… well, he assumed it wasn't his leg because Paul gasped. Will was very grateful he wasn't looking at Paul so he pretended not to notice. To divert the awkwardness, Will switched to teasing Paul about his dance moves. That only led to more bad decisions, though. Paul wanted another lesson and he was improving too quickly. He found himself looking into his eyes for too long. Paul was the first one to break eye contact but that was to look hungrily at his lips and Will practically jumped back like he'd been shocked. Poor Will stumbled backward, fell over the arm of the couch and fell off of it onto the floor. Will saw Paul looking down at him with concern before he started chuckling at him. But it later only resurfaced old memories of Paul knocking him out, making up with Sonny, making a ton of mistakes and leading right back to where his new life started as a single dad. It was a vicious cycle.

~OXOXO~

Later in the day, Will met Paul at the Salem Police Department to answer Hope and Rafe's questions about Zoe. It didn't seem like vital information, but he noticed Hope's reaction to Zoe turning down Chad for dinner. Will wasn't having it.

"Aunt Hope, please don't pin this on Chad because he's a DiMera."

"We're just gathering information, but there are connections between these two female victims. Chad was seen with them the day of the murders, the women turned him down, they were both stabbed with the same type of knife and the wounds were inflicted in the same places on their bodies."

"But no witnesses of the murders? No forensic evidence?"

"We're working on it."

"What you're suggesting is that Salem has a serial killer!"

"Will, you really need let us do our jobs. You've done your part and I'm grateful for that. If you remember anything, even the smallest thing could help, call me." Hope handed her business card to Paul and made sure Will still had her number.

"Think of it as helping Chad instead of accusing him," suggested Rafe.

Rafe followed Will and Paul out of Hope's office. "Will, do you mind staying for a few more minutes? I want to talk to you about Gabi?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, she's fine. Better than fine actually."

Rafe explained that when Gabi was being reviewed for her parole hearing in a couple of months, a technicality was found. They were setting her free!

Will ended up leaving the station filled with excitement and anxiety all at once.

"I don't want to believe it's Chad," admitted Rafe. "But both crimes are probably committed by the same person. Right now, Chad is the only common person between the victims."

"Whoever it is, he's targeting women."

Rafe let out a big sigh.

"How crazy is it that I'm nervous for Gabi to come home?" asked Will rhetorically.

"You and me both. And I think we need to consider moving you, Gabi and Arianna into my apartment until this case is solved." Obviously, Gabi must have told her brother about Sonny being in Paris." I think it would be safer."

But Will didn't like that idea. And later at the pub where Will and Paul were eating dinner with Arianna, Will started to worry.

"What about getting a dog?" asked Paul. "Does your apartment complex allow them?"

"Doggy!" squealed Arianna and the guys laughed at her.

"Only small dogs. I don't think a little yappy dog is going to be much protection."

"Well, I have a crazy idea."

"Crazy, huh? What does Paul Narita think is crazy?"

"I've been looking for places to rent so I can move out of the hotel. I found a home with a nice fenced in yard. What about the three of you move in with me until the guy is caught?"

"You want us to move in with you? Paul…" Will was about to argue.

"Just temporarily. You should keep your apartment, but until the a…" Paul caught himself before he finished saying the swear word.

"Good catch," said Will smiling.

Arianna was done eating and he handed her a toy dog from her diaper bag. "Doggy!" she squealed loud enough for the people at the next table to look at them. He ignored them. Arianna was behaving great for a two-year old.

"Look, it's got three bedrooms, a security system and a fence for a dog. Think about it."

"This is worse than when…" Will clammed up.

"Worse than what?" Paul asked seriously.

Will sighed. "Only Rafe knows about this. A few months ago, I tried backing out of a writing assignment about Clyde Weston," Will answered softly after looking around the pub.

"You ended up writing that. You left town for that when…"

"Yeah. And when I got back, you were holding Arianna."

"Don't stall, Will. Who made you go? Your editor or Clyde?"

"Clyde," whispered Will.

"And that was worse than the threat of a serial killer? Clyde threatened you."

"He suggested, more than threatened, that he hoped nothing happened to Sonny and Ari, and Gabi too."

"No wonder you were over the top crazy when you got home."

Once again he thought about Paul hitting him and he unconsciously rubbed his jaw.

"I'm sorry for that. I know you don't believe me, but I am. I had no right to hit you without needing to protect myself, especially in your own home."

"You ever hit anyone on the baseball field?"

"Only once. It was in the minor leagues. I was actually trying to pull my teammate off of a player from the opposing team when someone sucker punched me in the back. My coach was furious when he saw me punch the guy. Protecting my hand is crucial to my success along with my arm and shoulder."

"I hope he got thrown out of the game."

"The player or my coach?" Paul chuckled.

"Really?"

"Yeah, he's crazy protective of his pitchers. They were both thrown out of the game. My hand was sore though, so I had a relief pitcher for the last two innings. We won, 4 to 2."

"Two!" said Arianna.

" _You_ are too wiggly and ready to get out of here." Will tickled her belly and got her to laugh. He was about to grab the bill, but Paul waved his hand away.

"I'll take care of it."

"I can't let you do that," claimed Will.

"I'll let you pay next time," promised Paul.

"Fine."

Nothing more was said about how they so easily assumed there would be a next time.


	13. Chapter 13

Another chapter already? Happy Thanksgiving!

To my American readers: I hope your day is filled with thanks and good food.

 **Chapter 13**

The next day, Will visited Gabi and learned that she would be spending a couple of more days at the correctional facility for transition counseling with Marlena to readjust in the community and deal with Nick's family who may be upset and bitter by her release. After all, even with extenuating circumstances, she did murder Nick. Rafe already filled her in on the serial killer in Salem and she was understandably concerned. However, the idea of living with her overprotective and sometimes meddling older brother was not entirely a welcomed idea. Although she didn't know Paul and had reservations about living with him, Gabi made a good point that Arianna was now in danger if she was with her.

"But I don't know if it really means we need to move. As long as I don't leave the apartment alone at night, I think I'm safe."

Will agreed. "I'll make sure you and Ari are not alone after dark. I promise."

As far as Will was concerned, the matter was settled. Gabi really needed to return to the comfort of a familiar place and Arianna had gone through enough changes recently. But later in the afternoon when Will was on his way to get Arianna, Paul called Will to see what he was thinking about moving into the house he wanted to rent and invited him to look at it.

"Paul, Gabi hasn't met you. What she does know isn't good. To her, you're just the random guy I cheated on Sonny with. Nothing more. Besides, Gabi needs to be home after being gone for so long and Ari has lost too much already."

"It's not just Gabi and Ariana I'm worried about, Will."

"What? Come on. I know you knocked me out in one punch. I might not be a pro athlete, but I'm strong and fit."

"That's not what I mean. I know you can defend them. But who's got _your_ back? You are going to be a bigger target than any woman. You're writing an article about the murders. This sicko might start watching you to see if you're sniffing around and investigating it to write another one. And we both know that's _exactly_ what you want to do. Right?"

"How would I explain this to people? Most don't even know Sonny is gone."

"They don't have to know when or if he is coming back to Salem. Sonny is away on business to help his uncle. So what? You went to L.A. last year, so why shouldn't Sonny work in another location for a while? And because of the murders, just say John asked me as a favor to protect you and your family until he gets back. Say he thinks a pro-baseball player makes a good bodyguard."

"Well, it's not the same as a pro-football player or a pro-wrestler, but I guess you'll do," teased Will.

"Or I could try to hire that bouncer from The Spot," he countered with sass. "He's proven to be discreet… and maybe a little interested."

"Maybe ' _Operation Find Paul a Man_ ' will work out after all."

"Operation what?"

"I said that out loud."

"Yes, you did," Paul answered with a hearty laugh. "And now I know why you were teaching me to dance." While Paul should've been relieved, he secretly was disappointed. He'd obviously read way too much into it.

"People will be suspicious of us. Rumors could fly. This is Salem."

"First of all, we would have a chaperone at the house. Gabi. Then we can plan on being seen more in public with other people. We've already planned on getting together with Dave and Kyle. Maybe we could invite to take them out to dinner at a popular restaurant.

"Basically, be visible instead of hiding."

"Well, it _is_ what you taught me." Will imagined Paul was smiling confidently. The smile he wore when he thought, and usually did, have the upper hand. It could be friendly or daring.

"You there?"

"I was just thinking about how crazy this is. You and me after everything we've done and said."

"We had a nice friendly bond during the first couple of months even after you told me you were in a relationship. You helped me see myself as a person, not a profession. I'm not going to lie; I miss it. We weren't enemies. I want to get back to that if you do." Paul was feeling vulnerable; something he promised not to do. There was something about Will Horton that was magnetizing. "And I think it's a good plan. Why don't I text you the address and we can meet at the house? I think when you see it, you will be convinced it will be safe."

"Don't you need to plan that with the owners?"

"Already did. I wanted to at least take pictures to show you."

~OXOXO~

On their way to Paul's house, Arianna was listening to a child's musical CD and jabbering to it while Will was thinking about what Paul said about being friends again. _Did they really build a bond? Did he want that again? What would Sonny think?_


	14. Chapter 14

On their way to Paul's house, Arianna was listening to a child's musical CD and jabbering to it while Will was thinking about what Paul said about being friends again. _Did we really build a bond? Do I want that again? What would Sonny think?_

 **Chapter 14**

Will followed the directions on his GPS to the rental home Paul was considering. The neighborhood was about twenty minutes from Horton Town Square in the opposite direction from his apartment with Sonny. He drove through winding around a lake all the while admiring the homes that were probably built a few decades ago. They had a lot of character to them with the architecture and landscaped lawns with plenty of beautiful mature trees. These weren't just standard summer lake cottages. There was money there, but Paul was rich. No trying to ignore that fact.

He already knew that Gabi was going to love this. Compared to prison, this was going to be like a deluxe vacation. Will was confident that she would sacrifice home for luxury and safety.

They passed a neighborhood beach where he saw a family at a picnic table with a barbecue grill nearby. It was too bad the summer season for the lake was winding down, but there might be a couple more weeks of warmer weather to enjoy it if they were lucky.

Will pulled his black four door sedan up next to the curb in front of the brick two-story house with a detached garage that sat a little further back from the house. Just as Paul had said, there was a fenced in backyard. The houses across the street were lakefront homes.

Arianna's hand in his, Will led them up the walkway to the porch where Paul was waiting for them.

"Paw's house?" asked Arianna.

"I hope so, Princess. You want to see it?"

"Uh-huh," she answered nodding her head.

Arianna bounced from room to room like a ball of energy. Will slowed her down and helped her on the stairs leading to the bedrooms.

"Do you like it?" Paul asked Will, but it was Arianna who answered.

"No."

"No? Why not?" her dad wondered aloud.

"No beds. No toys. No food. I'm hungy."

The guys laughed.

Paul picked up Ari and held her. "You can bring your toys here when you visit. How does that sound?" Arianna nodded her approval. Will was thankful that Paul called it visiting instead of moving. Bonus points for Paul.

"And I promise to buy beds and food and a table and chairs to sit at to eat the food. How does that sound?"

"Good! Yay!" Arianna clapped. "Eat!"

"Well, since I don't have what I need yet, we need to ride in the car to find some dinner for you before you shrink." Paul tickled her tummy and made Ari giggle.

"You'll make a good dad someday," Will surprised both Paul and himself.

"Thanks, but I'll settle for Uncle Paul for now."

"Unca Paw?"

"Well…" Will started.

Paul interrupted. "I'm technically your dad's step-uncle." Will rolled his eyes. "So, yeah, you can call me Uncle Paul."

"Unca Paw?"

"Yeah?"

"We eat now?"

~OXOXO~

Will had planned on stopping by TBD on the way home to pick up the accounting books to help out as promised. And since they agreed to be in public, they decided they might as well eat together there. Will thought he might get a questioning look or two especially when he saw how crowded it was. Maybe they wanted to get a glimpse of the man being accused of a second murder. If they believed he was guilty, weren't the women concerned about being recognized by him at a later date? Will decided to talk to his grandpa. Although he thought Chad was innocent, he thought the police should warn the public to be more cautious about their surroundings at night if they thought there was a serial killer in Salem.

Not only was Will surprised by the crowd, he was surprised by a particular patron. They were just finished eating and waiting for the bill when a familiar man approached their table.

"Will, what do you think you're doing hanging out with him," he referred to Paul. "First you cheat on Sonny in hiding and now you're out in public with it? What gives?"

"Excuse me, but you don't know what you're talking about. We're just friends."

"I know enough to know Sonny would never be okay with this."

Paul interrupted, "Will, why don't we go and get those books from the office?"

But Will realized who he was talking to. "You're Tyler."

"We went to the 2012 New Year's Eve party with Sonny. You crushed him when you left early without even saying good-bye. He was so into you."

Will remembered being surprised about how long Sonny was interested in him. A year later he found out from his New Year's resolution, " _Get Will Horton to fall in love with me_."

"Where is Sonny now?"

"He's away on business."

"And you couldn't wait for him to get back? Do you even know how long he'd been interested in you? How long he waited for you? He helped you come out, won you over, you two got married and you have a child… and now this?" He waved at Paul once again.

"Sonny's away on business?" Will turned around when he heard Grandpa Roman's voice. Chad was standing next to him.

"Is there a problem here?" asked Chad. "Do I need to request this guy to leave?"

"I was just leaving." Tyler apparently had already paid his bill as he walked straight towards the door.

"Gandpa-pa!" Arianna was giving him the most adorable grin.

Roman was thankfully distracted, at least for a few minutes, as he needed to see is great-grand-daughter.

~OXOXO~

"None of this changes anything. You still need to be cautious," Paul explained while Will buckled Ari into her car seat.

"I really think Gabi will change her mind easily. And I'll explain everything to Grandpa Roman when I talk to him tomorrow when I'm picking up Gabi from the station."

"Good."

"If I'm going to ask him to notify the public about a serial killer so people can be cautious, I guess I should practice what I preach."

"Now all I have to do is win Gabi's approval… and get furniture and food in the house as Ari pointed out."

"She's a smart little girl," Will replied with an affectionate smile. "And tired."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"It's one more night. I haven't written anything to make me a target."

"That's not what I meant. I meant about that guy, Tyler."

"I'm fine. Really. He's just some guy Sonny knew from a college class. I'll call you tomorrow when Gabi is home. Maybe you can come and meet her and I'll show her the pictures I took of the house."

On the drive home, Will thought about how concerned Paul was for his safety. He was hard to figure out. Paul wanted Sonny for months, but Chad said he complimented and defended him in public. The night Paul told him about being the guy Sonny proposed to, he wanted to talk Will make sure he was okay. Of course Paul was thrilled Will invited him to play basketball because he got to play with Sonny. So why was he so happy to be hanging out with Will again?

 _Maybe Paul just likes what he can't have. Everything will be fine. He and Paul make good friends. Just friends._

~OXOXO~

A/N: Does everyone remember Tyler? He was in two episodes that I can remember including the one that won Chandler his first Emmy.

Thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Two days later, Gabi was looking over Will's shoulder reading the article about Zoe that would be published in the next Sonix issue. He left out how she was murdered and details about the case. If Chad was being framed, he didn't want to give the guy anything to gloat about. He focused on Zoe the person and the life she lived. He interviewed a family member who was gracious and happy to focus on remembering the good parts of her life.

"You know, I learned a few things in prison."

"Anything positive?"

"Not much," Gabi admitted. "But I'm pretty sure whoever murdered Zoe will be upset that his work wasn't mentioned at all. It could encourage him to kill again to keep getting attention in the news."

"I doubt it. It's already in the news and getting more attention than ever since Grandpa Roman issued an alert about a serial killer. That should be enough. Don't you think?"

"If the victims are random, you're probably right, but if it's personally motivated, it could make a difference. And if Chad is being framed, it's personal."

"Damn! Who was your cell mate?"

"I watch crime dramas now. It'll be weird watching them without criminals making fun of them. But Janine, she's harmless."

"Because you meet harmless people in prison every day."

"Huh. Are you afraid of me?"

"Maybe a little bit."

Will laughed at her attempt of indignation.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"

The day before, Will invited Paul over for dinner so that Gabi could get to know him. It turned out to be more of a "make fun of Will" thing. Gabi found him fun so offered to help Paul with choosing furniture and decorating the place. Paul was only going to shop online, but he found it the perfect opportunity to keep himself on her good side.

"Most definitely. I need to interrogate and warn him."

"What?"

"I need to know what his intentions are with you and let him know if he fucks with you, he fucks with me, too."

"But he isn't straight."

"Will!"

Will quickly removed the laptop from his legs and set it on the table behind the couch before Gabi pounced on him. Gabi claimed victory by pinning down his arms and tickling his side. "I let you win and you know it."

There was a knock at the door and Gabi yelled, "Come in," without thinking twice about it.

"Gabi," Will scolded. "You can't do that. You have to check to see who it is."

Paul walked in. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Yes, just in time to save him."

Will rolled his eyes and Paul's eyes looked they were laughing at him.

"I'll give sleeping beauty a kiss and grab my purse," announced Gabi.

"It's nice that the two of you have remained friends," Paul remarked. "I thought that only happened on sitcoms."

"Kind of like you thought you, Sonny and me could still be friends if you stole Sonny away from me?" countered Will.

"That was a crazy idea," Gabi added as she bounced back into the living room and grabbed her jacket from the closet.

"She's going to have so much fun with you, today." Will was practically laughing. This was great karma. "You should make the same deal with her that you made with me."

"So this is an interview." Paul stated. He should have already realized that.

"So what's the deal?" asked Gabi.

"He'll answer three of your questions for every one question he asks of you."

"Perfect. Let's go."

"She's not shy," Paul pointed out.

"And she likes to spend money. I'm pretty sure an afternoon with her will be more tiring than a workout at the gym."

"I heard that," Gabi's voice drifted in from the sidewalk.

"I talked my way out of shopping for baby furniture with Grandma Kate and Gabi. They were gone for hours! Good luck, man." Will smirked at the apprehensive look Paul had as he left the apartment.

~OXOXO~

With Ari napping, Will found he had too much time to think once he finished his article and talking to his new editor, Megan.

Gabi basically was going to play twenty questions with Paul. It made him nervous, but he was also curious. He would love it if Gabi accidentally left her phone on with the speaker option.

 _Will she focus her interrogation on his past with Sonny, his time here with Sonny or his time with me? I want to know all of those things. Maybe she just wants to know about his future plans. What will Paul want to know? It's a pretty good bet that she's going to go down memory lane for Sonny and me. I'm okay with that_.

Will sighed and tried to turn his brain off Gabi and Paul. He looked through the recent pictures he took of Ari to send to Adrienne. Will wasn't ready to send them directly to Sonny since he hadn't reached out to him yet. He sent a picture of Ari playing with her stuffed animals and looking at her Sonny book with Gabi. This time Will got brave and included a selfie with Ari and him. Maybe that would inspire him to call. It was actually Gabi's idea.

Will and Gabi had a serious best friend talk already. The whole idea of Paul frightened her in a way. The circumstances with Sonny's unknown ex, the ex he proposed to 4.5 years ago, being the guy Will made the mistake with was uncomfortable to her just as it was to them. Gabi made it clear that she would not be taking sides between Will and Sonny. She was team WilSon all the way. Sonny felt like family to her and things didn't feel right with him gone. She admitted to Will the previous night that she liked Paul, he treated Will nicely, and most importantly, he was an angel with Arianna. That Paul and Will were friends astonished her, but that's what she saw. So she decided to give him a chance especially since he was willing to watch out for them during Will's investigative journalism to exonerate Chad and maybe help catch the killer in the process. That's why she offered to help Paul with shopping for furniture and be an amateur interior designer for him. Gabi wanted to be able to do something for him in return. Of course, she would fully take advantage of the time to do some investigating of her own.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

While shopping, Gabi had Paul casually talking about what Sonny was like when they were together. It surprised Paul, but he liked reminiscing without appearing to be judged. Every once in a while Gabi would tell a story about Sonny and Will. Little did he know, there was an ulterior motive.

After four long hours, Paul and Gabi had everything from tables and chairs to bedding and towels, and now they were relaxing with coffee before getting back to the apartment. Gabi learned a lot about the differences of who Sonny was then and now, but she still needed to ask the important questions.

"So, everything should be delivered by the end of the week, and then you, Will and the princess can move in for however long you need."

"I'm grateful that you are watching out for us, but I just don't know why. Can you explain it to me?"

"I was wondering when you were going to get around to asking that." Paul smirked. He remembered how he had to practically drag Will's number one question out of him, ' _Are you gay_?'

"It's simple, really. I owe him."

"So this is an apology for trying to steal his husband?"

"It's more like a ' _thank you_ ' for helping me when I was alone dealing with losing my career."

"You didn't have Sonny?" Gabi was surprised by this.

"Sonny was busy pushing me away out of obligation to Will. Most of my time was spent with Will."

"Obligation? Do you still think Will was just an obligation to him? After everything I shared with you?"

"He was giving me mixed signals. What was I supposed to think? I thought I still had a chance."

"Or it could have simply been that Sonny and Will were having tough times, like all couples in the real world do, and the easy times filled with secret rendezvous with no responsibilities looked like a tempting life boat if things didn't work out."

"You honestly think Sonny was using me? That doesn't sound like the Sonny both of us know."

"Actually, it is very Sonny-like. Running from Will. Using you would have been the collateral damage. He's a runner when he's hurt. He ran from you when you turned him down. He ran from Will when he found out Will was the father of my baby. He ran away when he found out about you and Will. Paul, he was never running _to you_. He was running _from Will_. You happened to be here. He didn't go back to you years ago and he wouldn't have hunted you down if Will had cheated with someone else."

"Ouch. I don't like hearing this, but it's not something I haven't already thought about myself."

"Smart man then. And he has always gone back to Will. He can't stay away. They're soulmates."

"Then why is he still in Europe almost a month later?"

"He'll be back. He always comes back. You'll see."

But Paul wasn't sure about that like Gabi was.

~OXOXO~

When Arianna woke up from her nap, Will fed her a snack and they went to see Grandma Marlena and John to talk about a surprise welcome home party for Gabi. She was delighted to help. But then it was time to face the music.

"Grandma, there's something I need to tell you about Sonny."

"Oh?" She really hoped things were getting better and that no news was good news. But now she was worried that was going to end. And she was right.

"Sonny went to work in Paris for his uncle, Victor."

"Why would he do that? His own club is so important to him."

"He said he needed time to figure things out."

"With you?"

"I think he meant with both me and Paul."

"Are you sure you're just not presuming the worst again? Sonny loves you."

"Maybe he did. Maybe he still does. But he said he didn't know how long he'd be gone and I haven't talked to him in about three weeks."

"He's been gone that long? Why didn't you tell me sooner? I could have helped."

"How?"

"Just being there. To have somebody else around sometimes is enough to fill the void. Have you had anyone to confide in?"

"Chad knows. Grandma Kate found out because of business and I just wrote another article on Paul. So we've been hanging out."

"Okay…"

"And there's more."

"There's more?" asked John. This was news to him. Paul hadn't told him anything.

Will spent the next few minutes filling them in on the article he wrote about Zoe, his fear about Gabi's safety as well as his own and Paul's generosity. He left feeling a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, but he needed to give Paul a heads up.

~OXOXO~

Paul checked his phone for messages while Gabi sent a quick text to Will telling him they were on the way back and did he want her to bring dinner. Paul found two texts waiting for him. One from Will: _Heads up. John knows_. The second one was from John: _We need to talk_.

Gabi noticed the furrowed brow. "Something wrong?"

"I don't know. I'm still getting used to the fact that I have a father and navigating how much I should let him be involved in my life."

"I don't remember my father. But Rafe, my big brother, has always been a father figure. He can be a bit bossy and too protective sometimes. He forgets that I'm an adult."

Paul smiled. "I can relate. John and I have known each other for only a few months, but I want him to remember I'm an adult who doesn't need protecting. I've been on my own for a few years."

"Why don't you tell him that?"

Paul shrugged. "Part of it was the way I was raised. I'm not supposed to question my elders. And we've already been down this road of inspecting my social life. He promised not to interfere, but this text makes me think he's forgotten. I don't want to ignore him, but I don't want to risk embarrassing him or insulting him."

"What in the world did the text say that has you this anxious?"

" _'_ _We need to talk_.' Which was sent right after a text from Will that said, ' _Heads up. John knows._ '"

"Ah, he's worried you're going to have an affair with Will. Is that what you're hoping for?"

"I wouldn't betray Sonny like that. And last winter, I didn't know Will was his husband so I wasn't betraying him then either." _Fantasy and real life are a bad mixture I intend to stay away from_.

~OXOXO~

A/N: So Paul is fantasizing about Will? Stay tuned and thanks for reading the update!


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Please notice the rating change to M for mature audiences. Although this scene is mild compared to many readers' standards, ratings are strict on this site.

 **Chapter 17**

On Saturday, Paul was taking his morning run for the first time in his new neighborhood. He moved his things from the hotel to the rental house the day before. The furnishings were already delivered and Will, Brady and John helped him assemble what was needed and put order to everything else.

John, of course, was happy to offer his and Brady's help since he wanted time to observe his son's new relationship with Will. He'd known his son for only a few months, but he already knew Paul was desperate to find someone to hold onto. He wished things could have been different and he'd been there for him all his years growing up. Then maybe Paul wouldn't feel so insecure. Of course, he couldn't change the past, but he believed he could help his son recognize his insecurities. He didn't want to run his life which he was at risk of being perceived as doing. So he decided to go the indirect route.

Paul knew exactly what was happening when John offered to help him set up beds, tables and bookshelves when he moved in. His dad was a generous man, but he didn't ask one question about Will. So he was careful to pair himself up with Brady and left Will to deal with John realizing he might have to apologize to Will afterwards if he got sacked with a couple dozen questions instead of him.

Paul headed back towards home for a quick shower. Later in the afternoon, Will, Gabi and Arianna would move in their personal belongings. Paul was more than ready to get that transition over with so that he could feel like everyone was safer. The timing was turning out good since the electronic version of the newest Sonix edition was being posted on Monday. In it were Will's articles about Paul and Zoe.

Their plans for Sunday included adopting a puppy. Ari didn't know about that yet because Gabi and Will wisely knew that she wouldn't be able to wait and would pester them non-stop and would probably even have a hard time going to sleep. Then, shortly before dinner, Will was planning on " _remembering"_ that he forgot something at the apartment. They would talk her into going to a restaurant for dinner so they would all be with her when they went to the apartment. If they were careful, Gabi would be totally surprised with her "Welcome Home Party."

Paul finished his run feeling good about starting his day right. He felt sweaty and a little lightheaded. After running the water in the shower to warm it up, he grabbed a juice from the fridge.

Paul was looking forward to having a running partner, possibly as soon as the next day. Maybe Gabi would want to spend a night with her brother one day and visit with Arianna. He and Will would have the house all to themselves.

Paul returned to the bathroom, set his juice down on the counter and stripped off his clothes. A noise in the hallway caught his attention. He turned around; first he noticed he'd left the door open then he looked down the hall a bit.

 _There was Will. He didn't know when he'd gotten there, but he was more than happy to see him. He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist thinking it would lessen any anxiety Will might suddenly have with him._

 _"_ _You don't have to leave," Paul said before Will disappeared into a bedroom._

 _"_ _I can wait until you're done." Will should have been relieved Paul was not standing there talking to him stark naked. However, he was only more turned on by what was being hidden from his view and it didn't go unnoticed by Paul._

 _Paul swaggered to Will with seduction written in his eyes and it sounded heavily in his voice. "Is that what you want? To wait?" Paul wiped some of the sweat dripping from Will's neck and tugged on the bottom hem of his blue t-shirt. Will visibly shivered._

 _"_ _I can warm you up in the shower," Paul offered. He took a step closer and eliminated any space between them before he softly kissed him, only tempting him for more._

 _It worked because when Paul turned around to walk back to the shower, Will reached out and grabbed his towel off of him. With one hand Will squeezed a perfectly rounded firm globe and with the other he reached around Paul's waist and pulled him back against himself._

 _"_ _You are so fucking hot," Will whispered against Paul's neck._

 _Paul pushed back against Will's hardening erection eliciting a moan from both men. Paul quickly turned around and took control; kissing him everywhere he could reach while pulling him towards the bathroom and turning him into jelly. "You're mine, today. All day. Understood?" asked Paul._

 _"_ _Clothes… shower… off… Clothes off… Oh, yes! More…"_

 _And then Paul surprised him by sitting on the edge of the tub instead of jumping right in. Paul quickly pulled down Will's shorts and boxer briefs and, at a major change of pace, he moved agonizingly slow toward sucking him off. Will was certain that Paul was trying to drive him senseless._

 _"_ _Paul Narita, you're going to pay for torturing me like this."_

 _Paul chuckled and the vibration rocked Will. It had been too long since he'd felt that good and he needed more. So, he grabbed the bottle of soap and put it into Paul's hands. "More."_

 _"_ _Fuck yeah," said Paul and he prepared Will to take him. "Don't forget. All day. When I'm done with you here, I want you to take me in the bedroom and fuck me into the mattress. Can you do that for me?"_

Paul came hard, but when he opened his eyes he was standing in a cold shower all by himself.

~OXOXO~

Will was having a hard time waking up Saturday morning and he was very grateful Gabi was there to care for Ari. His heart felt heavy knowing he wouldn't be living in his and Sonny's apartment for a while. It felt like he was making a final separation and it was too painful to begin the day. He looked at the calendar. A month had gone by. Maybe it was time to move on and physically moving with his loved ones was a symbolic way of telling him it was okay. Maybe he didn't just need this change, maybe he deserved it. It was all so confusing and he buried his head under the covers again.

His counselor was going to have a field day with this on Monday.


	18. Chapter 18

I think my muse has returned from its vacation!

 **Chapter 18**

A half hour later, Will heard a knock on his bedroom door.

"Daddy wake?"

Will immediately jumped out of bed. _Oh my god! Where is Gabi_?

But when he opened the bedroom door, both Gabi and Ari were standing there, Gabi helping Ari hold a breakfast tray. Will sighed with relief.

"Wook, Daddy."

"Is that for me?"

"Uh huh."

"Are you going to help me eat this?"

"Uh huh."

"You already had breakfast, Ari," Gabi reminded. Ari pouted and Gabi relented. "Fine, go get on the bed with Daddy," she instructed while intending to carry the tray herself.

"Me do!"

"She's strong-willed like you," Gabi told Will. "Are you sure you want her up there with you making crumbs?"

"Why not? Let her have fun." Arianna wiggled next to her dad and took a bite of toast letting the crumbs fall. "I won't be sleeping here again anytime soon."

"Yeah, about that. What are your intentions?"

"What do you mean?"

"Will you be sleeping with Paul while we're there?"

"Gabi! Don't talk like that with Ari here!"

"Oh, give me a break," said Gabi as she rolled her eyes dramatically. "She doesn't know what we're talking about."

"And it's none of your business." Will was suddenly feeling defensive. He figured he'd get the third degree from one of his grandmothers, not Gabi.

"It sort of is," Gabi answered as she pointed at Arianna who was precariously balancing a fork full of scrambled eggs.

"I can't believe you would even think that I would expose Arianna to me having… you know… relations with another guy. And I learned my lesson about cheating."

"Okay. Just checking. You and Sonny belong together."

An hour later, the family of three were at TBD so that Will could return the club's books before they moved their clothes and most important belongings to Paul's house.

"Wow, it's not very busy in here," Gabi stated the obvious.

Tad snapped his head up from what he was doing behind the counter. "Gabi! When did you get out?" He ran over and lifted her in the air and twirled her around.

Ari squealed and reached her arms out. "My turn!"

With the girls occupied, Will snuck into the back office where he found Chad hanging up the phone.

"My man! How was the date?" asked Chad.

"It wasn't a date."

"Whatever you wanna call it is okay with me. I just talked to that partner of mine and…"

"You just talked to Sonny? What did he say? Is he coming home soon?"

"Oh, I don't know about that, but I did give him a piece of my mind about not talking to you."

"Do you think he listened? Is he going to call me?"

"He didn't give me a straight answer. Something about this time being his L.A."

"Nice. So this is payback for me being busy while writing mom's screenplay. Whatever," Will tried to cover up his huge disappointment. "I've got articles to write, Gabi's home…"

"Gabi's home?"

"Yeah, and we're having a surprise party tonight. You should come."

"Why didn't you call me? It would have been easy to have it here."

"Sorry, man, but we already have it all figured out." Will went on to explain the plan.

"Wait a minute. You, Gabi and Arianna are moving in with Paul? Where? Why?"

"It's a nice rental house by the lake. It will be a nice vacation for Gabi and it gets me out of the apartment and away from memories," Will tried to explain without giving too much away too soon.

"For what wasn't a date, you're moving on kinda fast."

"It's not like that. We're doing it for you," Will blurted out of frustration from the uncomfortable assumption. _So much for waiting_ , thought Will.

"What the hell?"

Will briefly explained his newest article being released about Zoe including how she died and how he wanted to help exonerate Chad.

"That's crazy! Learn from J.J. He played cop and got stabbed for it. No way! I'm not letting you prove my innocence. I'll do that on my own."

"And how are you going to do that?"

"I have a plan in mind."

"Tell me about it," Will challenged.

"Will! You're not getting involved!"

"You know, I'm tired of everyone in this town thinking I'm some kind of wilting flower. If I sit at home doing nothing, I might just get that way."

"You have a baby."

"And she has her mother and we have Paul. And we're getting a dog as extra protection. Did I mention the alarm system?"

"A lot of good that will do you away from home."

"And I have you. I'm not going to go solo on this. You have my word. I promise I won't be careless. Just let me help you catch this killer. No one will be safe until he's off the streets and with the Salem Police Department thinking you're the psycho, we're not safe. Right?"

Chad buried his head in the palm of his hands. "This is crazy," he mumbled before getting up and pacing the office. "But I do appreciate your faith in my innocence. I really do."

"Then you'll let me help? You'll tell me your plan?"

~OXOXO~

Paul was eating lunch at his new kitchen table while admiring his backyard and wondering what kind of dog they'd be adopting that afternoon when his phone announced an incoming text message. It was Gabi telling him they were on their way. He couldn't stop the feeling of pure happiness that engulfed him. He was tired of living alone. The pictures she attached were amazing. The first one was of Will and Ari eating breakfast in bed and the second one was of Ari sleeping in her car seat. His life was about to change substantially, but he was sure it was a change for the better. He was going to accept the gift for as long as he could have it.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Here's a short little chapter. There's an actual rescue foster system in Ohio for dogs that has gotten media attention lately because of George Clooney. The dogs described here can be currently found on their site. The first one is Hershey which I named Hero and I slightly embellished the story. The second dog is Cheerio. You can see their pictures at LuvFurMutts dot com.

 **Chapter 19**

"Aw, the princess is sound asleep," said Paul as he met them in the drive way to help Will with the luggage.

"She'll probably be out for another hour. That should give us enough time to get settled and then we can be on our way," Gabi informed.

"Actually, I found something interesting on the internet I want you both to see. It's a foster system for rescued dogs that are ready to be adopted."

A half hour later, Paul was showing Will and Gabi the bookmarked dogs he thought would be suitable for them.

"I picked ones that were good with kids."

Will was taken aback and touched by Paul's thoughtfulness. His first priority was Ari's safety and happiness with the dog. Suddenly, Will was filled with unexpected warm feelings for the man sitting next to him.

Gabi was enthusiastic about the new plan, too. "This is wonderful. We won't have to guess their dispositions while watching them in a cage they've been stuck in since rescued. This is such a great idea."

"That's what I was thinking," said Paul with a wide smile of accomplishment. "And there's a number here where we can call and schedule times to meet the dogs before we decide."

The three adults decided on two they would like to visit. Each dog came with photos. Hero had black fur and Cheerio's fur was white.

 _Meet Hero! Hero is a one year old male Terrier Mix that weighs about 15 pounds. He came to us after he had been hit by a car while chasing a puppy out of the street By-standers described Hero as protecting the other dog. He had to get a pin in his leg to help him heal. He was on crate rest for around 2 months. He is now off crate rest and doing just fine walking on his leg! Hero does fine with other dogs, even when they snap at him because they don't want to play. He has been around cats and does not seem to mind them. Hero loves kids! He would do fine in a home with kids of any ages, but you have to understand that he is high energy and may knock small ones over. Hero is a huge player with a love of toys! He loves to play fetch with a tennis ball in the backyard with his foster family. He is a very good boy who is super sweet and loves to give kisses. He is a very trainable dog and if his new owners took time to train him he would be a great agility dog! Hero's ideal family would live in a house with a fenced in backyard so he can run his long legs and get all the exercise he needs! He would not do well in an apartment because he is very active and needs to run around! He is potty trained and crate trained, although he will bark the first 10 minutes. He is working on leash training but loves to go on walks! Overall, Hero is a very good dog who needs an active family with an active life style and lots of love! Is that you?_

 _Hello! My name is Cheerio! I am still a puppy, just barely one year old. I am a Chihuahua mix. I weigh about 16 pounds. My foster mom says I am a happy, fun little pup! I love playing with other dogs, I do fine with cats and children, love going on walks, sitting for treats, playing with toys, and cuddling. I am potty trained, crate trained, and leash trained. I am still a young puppy, so I'll definitely benefit from a home that is active. If you're looking for a running partner, I'd be happy to fulfill the job! I get along with cats and children. I like to play fetch and learn new tricks! Cheerio is a great pup! If you're looking for a fun, bouncy little fella, Cheerio is your kiddo!_

Paul made the calls and scheduled visitations for the next day. Ari, who woke up from her nap early, was looking at pictures of dogs online with her mom. She still had no idea that she would actually be welcoming a real live dog into her home.

"Where Fwuffy go?" Arianna suddenly asked about her favorite stuffed animal.

"He's probably in your new room," answered Gabi. "Let's go look for him."

Sure enough, the black ball of fluff was buried in the covers from when she took her nap.

"Where Abby go?" Ari asked next. The tan dog with the pink collar was a birthday gift from her Aunt Abigail and was the newest of her growing stuffed animal collection and had quickly become a favorite.

"We need to unpack your toys, Sweetie. She's in here somewhere," said Gabi referring to the unpacked box on the floor next to a beautiful new toy box decorated in zoo animals that matched the comforter on her bed. "Why don't you help Mommy put your toys and books away?"

"How's it going in here?" asked Will a few minutes later. He was amused at the sight before him. Ari was buried under the bed covers with only her feet showing and Gabi was digging in a box with her butt in the air.

"We can't find Abby," Gabi told him after resurfacing from her hunt.

"Maybe it wasn't packed? Or maybe it's in the car? If not, we can swing by and get it from the apartment. Paul wants to take us out to dinner to celebrate."

Will peaked under the bed covers and made Ari squeal in fear and delight.

"Daddy, where Abby go?"

"We're going to go look for her at home."

"Yay!" she clapped, now sitting on her dad's hip. Her hair was a mess with static cling.

"Let's go brush your hair."

"No!"

"I'll put a pretty bow in it," Will bribed and it thankfully worked like a charm.

Twenty minutes later they were all in Will's car and headed toward Salem for dinner and a surprise party Gabi was still clueless about. At Brady's Pub, Will was surprised to see his Great-Grandma Caroline helping with the dinner crowd, but she secretly gave him a conspiratorial wink after they were done ordering. All was going as planned and Will couldn't be happier considering the soap opera that was the backdrop of his present life.

"You look happy," Paul commented.

"I am." It was nice not to have to fake it.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Will pulled into his assigned parking spot at the apartment complex and saw that the lights were off. He'd texted Marlena when they left the pub so he knew they were ready. He'd even seen Grandma Caroline in her jacket so he knew she'd snuck out the back to get there in time for the surprise.

Gabi unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door. "I'll be right back," she announced.

"Me go!"

"Maybe she'll remember where it is," Will suggested.

Gabi gave him an annoyed look. Going by herself would be so much faster, but she took Arianna with her anyways.

Will winked at Paul who was sitting next to him in the passenger's seat. Paul knew it was because Will was happy things were going so smoothly, but the gesture made him smile inside.

They gave Gabi enough time to unlock and open the door and then they walked to the apartment. There was laughter and cheers of welcome home. Arianna was startled at first but then started jumping up and down and clapping all the way to Grandpa Lucas's out-stretched arms. Will was there just in time for Gabi to turn around and shield her face with her hands.

"Gabi! What's wrong?" Will whispered.

"I think I'm overwhelmed. I wasn't expecting this."

"Well, that's the whole idea of a surprise party," Will shot back with a smirk.

"No, not that. I wasn't expecting so many people to be okay with me coming home… because of what I did to Nick."

Will realized he should have thought about that. They hadn't even really talked about it since all their focus had been on moving. He grabbed a tissue nearby on his desk and gave it to Gabi. When she was done drying her eyes, Will hugged her.

"They wouldn't be here if they were upset you didn't serve your whole sentence." Granted, Abigail was the only person from the Horton side of his family, but he wasn't going to point that out. More than enough people came and filled up the tiny apartment: Marlena & John, Roman, Brady, Rafe, Caroline, Chad, T, Abigail & Ben, Kate, Lucas and even Adrienne.

"Arianna needs her mother as much as you need her. They are happy to see you back together. They're happy to see YOU."

Gabi nodded and dried her eyes one last time before turning back around. The room was too quiet. Half the guests were watching Gabi and the other half were staring at Paul. The only exception… Ben. He was watching Chad and he was obviously unhappy with him being there.

T saved the evening as he jumped up onto a kitchen chair and shouted, "Let's get this party started! Who wants cake?"

"Me!" squealed Arianna and she wiggled out of Lucas's arms so she could go claim her piece.

Will got her in her booster seat with her bib and T ceremoniously gave her the piece of chocolate cake. She wasted no time in scooping up a bite sized piece. When a piece gave her trouble, she finally picked it up and put it on her spoon making onlookers laugh. Marlena, Kate and Adrienne snapped a couple photos and Will was grateful. He could always count on the grandmothers when he was too busy. He would hit them up later.

"Someone give that kid a fork," Will heard Chad say.

"Isn't that dangerous?" asked T.

"T… she's two." Will grabbed a toddler's spork from the drawer.

"I knew it!" cried T. "That is not a fork. It's a deformed spoon."

Paul came to stand by Will and talked in a quiet voice. "Ben still has a problem with Chad? The guy can really hold a grudge."

Will looked over at Ben and he could see he was texting someone while looking up to glance at Chad a couple of times. Will wondered if Ben suspected anything happened between Chad and Abigail. Or maybe he was convinced Chad was the serial killer. Thankfully, everyone else was acting normal around Chad.

Arianna interrupted his thoughts.

"Unca Paw, eat!" She had her spork extended out in invitation to take a bite of her cake. Paul looked bewildered and unsure of what to do.

Will was amused. "Paul is going to eat his own piece of cake."

"She calls him Uncle Paul?" asked Kate.

"Don't read into it, Grandma." He knew it was falling on deaf ears.

Lucas brought out a deck of cards and a couple of board games. Will and Marlena teamed up in a game of Euchre against Paul and John. The atmosphere was calm and fun and it reminded him of Thanksgivings of games and turkey comas.

Will and Marlena were the reigning champs of the Brady clan ever since Will was in high school. They had to beg people to play. But not that night. Paul was just as competitive and his enthusiasm was contagious. John was so happy to have Paul in his life. Maybe one day he would be forgiven for how he discovered Paul's father was alive and used it as blackmail.

"I call _foul_ ," said Will. "Grandma, you can't help John. That's cheating."

"Oh hogwash," Caroline answered. "I haven't looked at anyone else's cards."

"Mom did great at the casino last weekend," announced Roman.

"Are you okay with this?" Will asked Marlena.

"The bigger the challenge, the more fun it is," said Paul.

The way Paul was looking at Will, he felt like there was a double meaning. Will glanced around to see if anyone else noticed. Not even Kate noticed so he assumed he was imagining it.

As it turned out, Will and Marlena did end up winning. Bragging rights were safe.

"At least you're better at baseball," Will taunted Paul. "But I've got you beat at cards."

"And dancing," Paul added.

Roman pulled Rafe aside after taking a phone call. "Something's going on down on the docks."

"Is it another murder?" asked Chad.

"I don't have any details to give."

Paul watched a silent conversation between Will and Chad. Something was up and it wasn't just down at the docks.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Will looked up from where he was sitting on a recliner in the family room and saw Gabi coming down the stairs.

"She's all ready for her story and goodnight kiss."

Paul thought about how just a few months ago he thought Sonny and Will were crazy to already be settled down with a family. Now he was enjoying the perks that came with those responsibilities. He admired Will for his strength at keeping it together when Sonny left and his pure, unconditional love for his daughter. Sure, he struggled emotionally after already being insecure about Sonny's intentions. But he was making it work. He was surviving. And Arianna, the cutest little two-years old ever, she was happy and healthy.

When Will returned, he found the San Francisco Giants game on TV and Gabi questioning Paul about his baseball career. "I thought you didn't like baseball."

"It turns out that there are things duller than watching baseball and that is sitting in a cell."

"I'm guessing that was on TV and not a game in the prison yard," Will assumed correctly.

"Yeah, I don't think inmates with baseball bats are a good combination," said Paul.

"Neither are pitchers and baseball bats." Will laughed at his own joke, but Gabi was clueless.

"I more than made up for it on the pitcher's mound."

"That's an understatement." Will was impressed with Paul's success; he knew it wasn't just wasn't for the Sonix article.

"Did you know Will was the star of Salem High's baseball team?" asked Gabi.

"You didn't tell me that," Paul accused.

"I was interviewing you. Not the other way around."

"So you told me over and over. What position did you play?"

"Second base. And I wasn't the star player. Gabi just brags about me."

"Second base," Paul repeated. "Did you stare at the pitcher's ass?"

Will shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you just asked me that."

"Oh my god. That's my cue to leave," Gabi announced. "I'm exhausted anyway. Thank you guys for everything." She hugged both guys before going upstairs.

An inning went by before Will got up the courage to ask. "We only gave lips service in the new article about how you feel about the first season away from the pitcher's mound, but how are you really doing?" Will had actually wanted to ask Paul for a while now and worried about him more than he wanted to admit to himself.

For a few moments, Will wondered if Paul was going to talk about it.

"Can I ask you something after I talk about it?"

"You're always trying to negotiate," he answered with a smirk and laugh. Paul amused him and kept him alert, always wondering what he was thinking. Complicated, not simple as he figured out months ago.

"I guess it's become ingrained in me. Contracts are always on the table no matter how great a player a person is."

"I'm not a thing to be manipulated."

"What? How did you get from negotiations to manipulations? We're not going down this road again about you, me and Sonny?"

"That's not what I was thinking. Can we forget I said that? I'm tired… and maybe a little bit…

"Paranoid?"

"Cautious."

"Why would you say that?"

Will contemplated about if he should be truthful or find something else less embarrassing. Did he really want to continue on the path of deceit?

"It's stupid. Really." Paul waited. He wasn't letting it go. Will sighed and spilled. "When we were playing cards tonight, it seemed like something you said had a double meaning." And Paul kept waiting. He was relentless. Maybe he should be the journalist. "It was how you looked at me when you said it."

Finally, he spoke. "How did I look at you?"

"Predatory. And you said, " _The bigger the challenge, the more fun it is_.""

"So you think I'm after you, and not only that, but I'm after you just for the sport of it? I couldn't possibly feel anything towards you except as a conquest?"

"I know you and Sonny think I'm some inexperienced vulnerable gay guy. But I know what seduction looks like," Will admitted.

"So you were inexperienced with Sonny sexually, but you were turning men away before you were with him?"

"And since then."

"I actually believe that. So you know Kyle was hot for you the other night."

"And I know you were jealous." Not really, but he was making the leap now.

"What? Why do you think I'm jealous?"

"It's actually my turn to ask a question. Your rules."

"Fine," Paul said with a big sigh. "You want to know if I'm okay watching this season go by without me. Not just any season, but one that could see the Giants in the World Series."

"So in other words, you're not okay."

"It depends on the day. And it's not like I'm not used to just watching the game. As you know, professional pitchers are on rotation rather than playing in every game like infielders and outfielders."

"Have you thought about going out to San Francisco to watch a live game?"

"Thought about it? Yes. Actually done it? No. Isn't it my turn to ask you a question?"

"Right. What do you want to know?"

"You sound so enthused!" Paul chuckled. "If the Giants play in the play-offs, would you go to a game with me? I can easily get great seats. Maybe you can meet the team. Sit in the dugout?"

"How can I say _no_ to all of that?"

For the rest of the evening, they spent just relaxing and watching the Giants win. No more serious talk, so when they parted ways to go to their separate bedrooms, Paul surprised Will.

"Will? Do you remember last winter after I found out you were attached and before I knew about Sonny? Sometime after you turned me down?"

"Yeah." Will wondered where he was going with his thoughts.

"I pretty much admitted that I was disappointed because I thought you could be the person who got me past losing Sonny."

"I forgot about that. We were in my office."

"Yeah, you were worried I'd try something with you."

Will only nodded as his curiosity increased.

"You're not a conquest. And I won't ever do anything you didn't want to do."

Will suddenly realized he was about to have a sleepless night.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: In this story, the L.A. cheating did not happen.

 **Chapter 22**

Will laid awake in bed for a couple of hours thinking about Paul and what he said. He wondered how Paul could possibly want to start something with him again. Paul loved Sonny and thought he was the love of his life. Will thought Sonny was the love of his life, too. Then he would begin wondering what Sonny was thinking about over in Paris. Was he thinking about Paul or him? Was he thinking about Arianna? Did he know Gabi was home?

He was tired of waiting for Sonny to contact him. He said he needed space, but a month without any communication was a bit ridiculous to him. So he decided to send him pictures instead of sending them to Adrienne. He wouldn't "talk" to him, only pictures. He believed that was a safe first step.

He chose to send one of Gabi and Arianna at the welcome home party, one of Ari playing with her stuffed dogs and a last minute choice of Ari and him having breakfast in bed.

He did his best to fall asleep and was actually finally drifting off when he heard his phone signal a call. It panicked him until he saw that it was Sonny! Hope and excitement filled him.

"Will, what are you doing?"

"Not sleeping thinking of you."

"I'm not ready. I've been so busy that I've barely had time to think about anything."

"Really, Sonny? That's pretty much the excuse I used to explain not talking to you when I was in L.A. I would think you'd learned from my mistake… unless you're punishing me."

"That was different. You weren't leaving to figure out what happened to us."

"You're right. It was different. I wasn't separated from our daughter. Ari misses you. Maybe you're not ready to come home, but I would think you'd want to talk to Ari on the computer so she can see and hear you."

"I miss her like crazy, but I don't want to be manipulated like this. It's too much like your mom and dad did using you to get at each other. I would think you would be more careful not to do that, but maybe not. After all, it didn't take long for you to cheat on me."

"That's unfair to throw my parents into this. I don't feel like I'm using her to get to talk to you. I'm thinking of her needs. But you, you're overcompensating. You ran and didn't look back. You didn't just leave me, you left her."

Silence filled the air for many moments. Will was about to say something when Sonny finally spoke.

"I really don't know what to think of your motives anymore. I thought I knew you."

"I can say the same thing."

"What do you mean?

"Knowing I wasn't the first man you wanted to marry is pretty huge, Sonny. I haven't been allowed to talk about it because I cheated."

"Cheating ruins trust. Whatever you say, whatever we talk about, I'd be questioning if you were sincere. It kind of makes it hard to think about all our other problems objectively. Don't you think?"

"I understand that you don't trust me, but do you still love me?"

"I don't know."

Will felt like his heart sunk to the bottom of his stomach like a brick.

"Look, I'll talk to Ari. You're right. She needs to hear and see me. I'll set a time with Gabi. Have her call me since I don't have her number."

"Right."

"Good night, Will."

"Good night. Well, I guess it's good morning."

They said their goodbyes and he rolled over and cried quietly until he was asleep.

~OXOXO~

When Will got up in the morning, Paul was in the kitchen eating what looked like cardboard tasting cereal to him. He really hoped there was something better hiding in the pantry.

Paul immediately noticed Will's bloodshot eyes. "I don't think you would be this upset by anything I said last night to keep you from sleeping. And I highly doubt a nightmare would keep you awake."

"You'd be right."

That actually made Will smile and Paul was happy he could make him feel like that.

"I haven't had a nightmare since I was a kid." Actually it was when he was worried Sonny would find out Gabi was pregnant, but then didn't seem like a time to get serious, especially about something like nightmares.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nightmares?" Will asked incredulously.

"No!" Paul chuckled. "About whatever is bothering you."

"Not really."

Will fixed himself a bowl of sugary cereal and took a seat across from Paul who was now reading the daily Chicago paper.

"I talked to Sonny last night," Will blurted out. "He doesn't know if he still loves me."

"Uh, I don't know what to say. I seriously wasn't expecting that."

"I guess you're going to get your chance with him."

"I don't want a chance with him."

Will looked at Paul skeptically.

"I'm being honest. I don't want to be his default guy."

"You wouldn't have to feel like that. You were his first love."

"He didn't tell you about me. How do I know there wasn't someone before me?"

Will hadn't thought of that possibility.

"I'm sorry. I just made you feel worse."

"Forget about it. I'm fine. Ari is still asleep. I'm going to go take a run. That usually makes me feel better."

Paul was determined to make it up to him. He was on a mission to make Will happy that day.

~OXOXO~

Paul was mad at Sonny. Did he have to tear his husband down while he was putting their relationship, their family and Will's life on hold? Yeah, Will hurt him in the worst way possible, but he didn't like the psychological warfare. To make matters worse, he was figuring Paul into the equation. He figured it was time to call Sonny to let him know he wasn't an option anymore. That might make things easier for Sonny. It didn't change what happened, but it affected the future.

Paul had already been waffling when Sonny was in Salem. Some days he wanted to let Sonny go because he didn't want to be used. Then he would let his old feelings get the better of him. And those old feelings were just that… old. Nostalgic. Life had changed both of them and they didn't make those changes together. Being without Sonny for a few weeks made him realize he was right to be worried about being second best. Letting go was right for himself, not just Will and Sonny.

And now Paul was starting to wonder if Will needed to come to the same conclusion. Will deserved better than a husband who was hanging on to two men. Will deserved to be loved as much as he loved back.

As much as he didn't like Will's schemes, his sole intention was to keep his marriage together because he loved Sonny, unlike Sonny who seemed to only be interested in commitments. The consequences of Will's behavior hurt the people around him, but Paul was actually starting to respect Will's renewed commitment. It was more genuine than Sonny's and it was for the right reason. Will loved Sonny. And now Sonny told Will he doesn't know if he loves him.

Paul picked up his phone and sent a quick text to Sonny. " _We need to talk_."


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Thank you for the wonderful and encouraging comments on the last chapter. I was unsure of how I did, but you've motivated me to continue.

 **Chapter 23**

When Will returned from running, he saw Gabi and Ari in the kitchen eating breakfast.

"Daddy!"

Will bent over and kissed her cheek. "Hi my sweet girl."

Will told them he was going to take a shower and get ready for their fun day. Arianna still didn't know about the visits with the dogs. That wouldn't happen until the last minute. Will learned the hard way that two year olds had absolutely no sense of time passing and having to wait for things to happen.

As Will was walking past Paul's bedroom, Paul's voice raised. He was shocked and a little bit hurt to find out Paul was talking to Sonny.

"Sonny, I'm just as guilty as you are in making Will insecure after you found out about… well, you know."

…

"I get that. But please hear me out. You owe me that because you lead me on and gave me hope when you left."

Will had suspected it, but he didn't want to believe it. He covered his mouth to silence his annoyance. Paul was talking quieter so he needed to strain to hear him.

"After you found out about that ONE time, you were suddenly not as committed to Will."

…

"Yeah, that's what I saw and you need to own it. And to make things more confusing, I didn't know what I wanted anymore. One day you'd give me hope and I would push you away because I didn't want to be used by you to get over Will hurting you and then the next day I'd think it was fate that brought us back together and then you would freak out and back away. Right?

Will badly wanted to know what Sonny was saying. No longer did he feel wrong about eavesdropping. They were talking about him as much as they were about themselves! He wondered if Paul and Sonny ever talked about anything other than the past and him.

"But here's the thing I've finally figured out; we had our chance and it was amazing and real while it lasted. But it's over now. " _What could have been_ " doesn't mean a do-over. We can't go back and see what would've happened if I'd said yes. It wouldn't work even if we tried. We're not the same people and we can't go back and relive the past."

Instead of scampering away, he slid down the wall and sat on the floor. Will spent his whole run wondering if Paul was being honest with him. This was what he needed to hear. Now he needed to be honest with himself.

He honestly didn't know what to do or how much to let himself feel. Feelings were confusing during transitions. And he was definitely in a transition. He just didn't know if it was from his new marriage with Sonny to a reconciled marriage with Sonny or was it his marriage to Sonny to being single? Did single mean dating or could it mean a non-committed relationship? The last option didn't sound very healthy. He had to put Arianna first.

Besides, what was the mourning period? When was it okay not to be single anymore? He didn't really want to be single, but that was how he got started with Sonny so quickly. He even talked to Marlena about not being interested in dating and she guessed correctly that it was because there was already someone he was interested in.

He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't hear the end of Paul and Sonny's conversation and was legitimately surprised when Paul found him in the hall.

"Are you mad?" asked Will timidly.

"How much did you hear?"

"I realized you were on the phone when I was walking by and you raised your voice at Sonny. You said his name... and mine. It's only human instinct to want to know what your ex-lovers are saying about you." Will rambled quickly. "And I found out I was right to be worried about the two of you when Sonny was here. But I also found out that you weren't lying to me this morning."

"Lying isn't something I'm fond of." Paul just got a glimpse of Will truly not lying… he most likely didn't even realize he just spilled the beans with the ex-lovers description. Will revealed how he felt more for him than a simple one-night-stand which he already suspected. And not only that, Will was seeing his marriage in the past tense.

"Believe me; I know," Will muttered.

"Well, you're still here so I'm guessing you heard almost everything."

"Actually, I zoned out. My mind was replaying what I heard and what it meant. You said something about not reliving the past and then I wasn't paying any attention. I just turned into a limp noodle and slid down the wall."

"Limp noodle is not how I would describe you."

"How would you describe me? Wait. Don't answer that."

One day soon, Paul planned on telling Will exactly what he thought of him.

Paul surprised Will by sitting down next to him on the floor.

"So are you mad?"

"No. And just so you know, that was the first time I talked to him since he left Salem. I texted him to call me."

"Why now?"

"You really want to know?"

"Um, I think so?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I was done waiting for him to call me. I'd already figured things out for myself and he had the right to know. Aaannnd… I might have been a little upset about how he upset you last night. If he does that again, will you do something for me?"

"What?" The question left him so baffled.

"If you're upset the next time you talk to him, don't sit and wallow in it. Find me."

"It was the middle of the night."

"I don't care."

"Why do you care so much?"

"I just do."

Just then Ari scrambled up the stairs and flung herself into her daddy's lap. Will tickled her relentlessly for a minute and Paul was delighted by their laughter. He was going to enjoy their day together. He still had his mission: to make Will happy that day.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: I fixed a couple of typos in the last chapter. One was really bad because it changed the meaning. Oops. I promise to be more careful.

 **Chapter 24**

When they were getting ready to leave the house to visit the dogs in their foster homes, Will suggested to Paul to take his ear buds to his phone if he had any music stored on it. He explained that because the round-trip drive wasn't a short one, Arianna might get fussy, in which case, he'd need to put on her toddler music CD.

"That's a thing?" Paul asked with raised brows. His mother didn't use them when he was growing up. "How long have those been a thing?"

Gabi laughed at him. "I listened to them when I was little."

Paul looked to Will, "How bad is this music going to be?"

"I'm used to it, but it's pretty bad."

"It is not," said Gabi. "Don't listen to him."

~OXOXO~

The next three hours were eventful with playing with puppies to traveling in the car from place to place. Arianna only needed to listen to her music during the first part of the ride home until she fell asleep.

Cheerio and Hero were both great with Arianna. They tolerated her hyper behavior and she was unphased by the puppies just as obnoxious playfulness. She didn't even mind being knocked over twice. At their first stop, Ari would pretend to bark at Cheerio and he would bark back sending her into a fit of giggles.

"Wuff!" Ari would say. Then her giggles sounded like "He, he, he." Nothing more than that. But Gabi expressed how it sounded like Ari was saying "Wuffy." It stuck with Ari and she started calling Cheerio, "Wuffy."

Between trips from seeing Cheerio to Hero, Paul and Will were adamant that they stick to calling Hero by his name. There was no way they were going to get stuck calling after a dog named "Wuffy."

In the end, the black lovable Terrier Mix named Hero won their hearts and they planned on getting puppy supplies, signing papers and getting vet checkup reports from the agency in a couple of days.

Since they were already missing the first of the day's football games, they decided to stop and grab a pizza on the way home. Paul informed them that Sundays were his days to cheat on his strict fitness diet. The guys spent some time talking about the games being played as Paul gave commentary from his phone for Will who was driving. They had a lively conversation about their fantasy football teams. That was one thing that he and Sonny didn't have in common so he normally relied on T to watch and talk football with him. It just didn't happen nearly as often as he'd like. While they were staying at Paul's place, Will was going to enjoy having someone share his passion for football. Gabi, on the other hand, was not thrilled by the prospect of seeing and hearing more football and quietly shared her opinion on the matter to Arianna who only nodded in agreement to whatever her mother was saying.

After Ari fell asleep, the three adults talked about the stabbings down at the Salem docks the evening before. According to the news, it was being reported as suspicious drug trafficking and possibly linked to JJ and Paige's attacks.

"From the way you and Chad were looking at each other when your grandfather and Rafe left last night, I'm assuming the two of you talked," Paul said to Will.

"Yes, we did. I got him to agree to let me help him. His idea will be just part one of the plan now. He's going to install security cameras at TBD. Until that can be done, I'm going to work at writing my assignments at TBD when T is not working. We're all going to write down everyone who is there and make notes about how they pay attention to Chad. Once cameras are installed, we can look at footage later."

"We can work that out to make sure Gabi and Ari are not alone. What's the second part?" asked Paul.

"Part two of three, we'll have access to the GPS on his phone with that find your friends app. And the third is more investigative guess work. We've made a list of potential targets the serial killer may be after if he is trying to set up Chad to take the fall."

"What are you going to do with that information?" asked Paul.

"Well, I'm going to do surveillance of them. If they are attacked, I can call for help and be a witness for the real killer," Will explained as if it was easy and natural.

"That seems like an impossible feat. You can't clone yourself to follow multiple people," Paul reasoned.

"That's why it's guess work. And we're also going to ask T to help."

"Don't you think you should just let Rafe and Hope and their officers do the detective work?" asked Gabi.

"They think he's guilty. There's not going to spend man power on that."

"You don't know that," Gabi accused.

"I do know that it's not a guarantee and if they knew we were doing it, they would stop us."

"Exactly. You need to be stopped."

Paul defended Will. "He's going to be fine, Gabi. He'll take precautions."

"You're seriously okay with this?" asked Gabi incredulously.

"There's risk involved. Sure. But he's smart and fit."

"Well, I'm not okay with it and I'm pretty sure Sonny wouldn't be."

"Don't you dare say anything to him, Gabi. I mean it. He is too overprotective. He'd lock me into a cage if he was here."

"I could lock you into Hero's cage," Gabi joked.

"The only suggestion I would make is that the person staking out TBD not be the same person surveil lancing prospective women victims. Being seen at TBD puts suspicion on you. Why don't you let me do that for you and you and T can watch the women."

"You don't even really know Chad all that well. You want to help?"

"I still would like to see justice, and since you're involved, I'd like to be involved. Do Chad and T like football?"

"T loves it! Chad, he likes it, but he's not obsessed with it enough to do fantasy football. Why? What are you thinking?"

"Well, we could get an extra pizza and invite them over this evening and make some plans."

Will wanted to hug the man seated next to him.

"Do I get any say into these plans?"

"Don't worry, Gabi. We won't leave you out. Protecting you and Ari is my first priority."


	25. Chapter 25

A/N – You can thank the song "Wanted" by Hunter Hayes for this chapter.

 **Chapter 25**

Chad was in awe of the lengths his friends were going to help him. T even invited him to stay at his apartment so that he would have him as a witness during the late night hours. This wasn't your everyday trouble, although, being a DiMera, he guessed it was. But still, he was being accused of murders… plural. And he wasn't sure it was going to stop.

Later that night after Gabi and Ari were in bed and Chad and T had left, Will and Paul remained up, half watching the after game show and half still discussing their plans for exonerating Chad.

The next day, Will would stake out TBD after T's shift ended in mid-afternoon. They had decided it would look more natural for Will to be there during the day using it as a place to write his assignments than it would be for Paul. So Paul would begin the surveil lancing at night and once the cameras were installed, Will would take turns keeping watch at night. This delay, of course, made Gabi happier.

Chad planned on spending a lot of time at TBD during the day to give him an alibi. In the evenings, he planned on keeping a low profile while Paul and T kept watch over their assigned potential victims. Paul was going to be watching a middle-aged single woman on the hospital's trustee board who was at odds with Chad about some hospital hiring practices. T was going to be watching Abigail since it was known by some people that he still was attracted to her.

Chad had already talked to his two female employees. Karla's finance would be escorting her to and from places and Tiffany's dad and brother would take turns keeping her safe until the murders were solved and the culprit was in custody. They were both hard working women who successfully balanced part-time work with their full college class loads so he was extremely grateful they would be staying at TBD. If roles were reversed, he didn't know if he'd be as understanding if Abigail was working for a murder suspect.

Will watched Paul as he read some highlights from the games on his tablet.

"Do you like what you see?" asked Paul.

Will chuckled at being caught. "Busted."

"What are you thinking?"

"What a good day it's been."

"And how's that?" Paul wanted to know more.

"We're getting a dog for one. Ari was so happy. I'm so thankful that you were so focused on her needs when you searched. And now you're helping me help Chad."

"He's a friend of yours."

"But it's more than that. You believe that I can help him. You're not second guessing me and telling me I can't do it. You're letting me be me. That means a lot. Thanks. Really, I mean it."

Paul wondered how much Sonny would object to Will helping Chad. Was he just overprotective or was there more to it? He'd noticed that Sonny was very critical of Will's work. Did that happen in other areas of Will's life?

"You can be impulsive sometimes when you let your emotions get the better of you and you take things personally…"

"Thanks for pointing that out," Will cringed at the truth.

"But you're smart. I've known that from the beginning. You're not going this alone and your plans are good. I trust your judgment on this."

Will gave a big sigh. "It feels good to be trusted again." Will stretched his shoulders, arms, neck and back.

"Are you tense?"

"Honestly, I have been for weeks," Will said nervously. "But it's getting better. I think getting a little distance from Salem will be good for me."

"Well, I'm somewhat of an expert at massaging shoulders. Come over here," Paul invited.

Will situated himself in between Paul's legs where he was sitting on the couch and then lifted his shirt above his head. Paul was suddenly more alert and he helped Will take his shirt off and dropped it next to him on the couch. He was going to enjoy this.

Paul began with his shoulders and Will hummed in satisfaction; the pleasure controlling his responses. Paul expertly moved down his arms before working his neck muscles. He'd been massaging Will for a few minutes when he worked up the courage to move around front to his collar bone and down the center of his chest under his pecs and up again. Will's moan immediately sent blood rushing south.

Will was feeling every touch and it was amazing. It'd been so long since anyone had touched him in any way, platonically or sexually.

Paul whispered in Will's ear. "I want to make you feel more than better. I want to make you feel wanted."

Will leaned to the side and looked up at Paul. "Are you sure? My life is complicated and uncertain right now."

"You're the only person I want to focus on right now. Nothing else needs to matter right now."

Paul caressed his lips before kissing him passionately. They broke away only for Will to stand up and remove Paul's shirt.

"Please touch me," Paul groaned and reattached their mouths.

With no space between the two of them, Will cupped the globes of his tight ass and pulled him impossibly closer.

"Fuck," Paul moaned and tipped his head back giving Will access to kiss his neck to his ear.

"That's the plan," Will answered.

Paul lifted Will effortlessly and Will wrapped his legs around Paul's waist.

Paul walked to the stairs. Before going up, he turned and pinned Will against the wall and grinded against him. Both men groaned.

"Shhh," giggled Will. "We're not alone."

"Bedroom?" asked Paul.

"Please."

Cell phones and shirts were forgotten and left downstairs.


	26. Chapter 26

A/N – I hope this meets your expectations. Not much plot in this chapter. lol

 **Chapter 26**

Impatient would describe their first couple of minutes in the bedroom. Especially Will. He couldn't wait to look and feel.

"In a hurry. I like it," purred Paul.

"You were right. I do remember. Every. Single. Detail."

Paul almost came right then. Will was driving him wild with his words and actions: tasting, caressing and sucking. Will wasn't the only one that remembered everything and he was so very happy to experience it again.

Will worked Paul up into a frenzy before Paul flipped them; taking control and delivering the same treatment he just got from Will. For a moment, he thought about the real possibility that it could be the last time Will was underneath him, but he quickly chased that thought from his mind. He was going to savor it all.

Paul ran his hands up Will's inner thighs until he found his prize. Will's eyes slowly closed and his mouth fell open in awe. Paul was licking him like a damn ice cream cone. Will reached for Paul's hair and practically whined, "More. I need more."

Paul laughed and the vibration made Will buck his hips upwards. Paul thankfully had mercy on him and took him all the way in.

"So good," Will hummed his pleasure.

Paul stimulated him more with his hands as he worked his cock with his mouth and then asked Will to reach in the drawer next him. He was shamelessly prepared for Will with lube and condoms.

Will reached out towards Paul's outstretched hand but stopped short of giving him the supplies. He intently looked into Paul's eyes for understanding. "It's been a while."

Paul leaned over, kissed him and whispered, "I understand."

And he did. He was gentle when he needed to be, passionate when he was ready and attentive when they were coming down from their high. They shared long, lazy, sensual kisses in each others arms for several minutes.

"You seemed to enjoy that," Paul said with pure triumph.

"What gave you that idea?" Will teased.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it was the way you called my name. Or how hard you came. And you're smiling like a very satisfied man."

"Well, I'm lying in the arms of another very satisfied man. A hot one."

"That's true."

Will laughed at him and Paul followed.

"I wanted to make this day a happy one for you. You deserve to be happy. I just didn't know it would end like this. You sure know how to surprise me, Will Horton."

"You've been full of surprises, too, Paul Narita."

"Shower?"

"Sounds heavenly," Will answered.

"That body is heavenly. I call dibs on washing first."

Will didn't think his physique came close to Paul's, but he was going to enjoy Paul's appraisal while it lasted.

Paul hopped out of bed and pulled Will with him walking backwards towards the bathroom. The old house only had one full bath upstairs, but thankfully it had its own door to the master bedroom.

They made use of the time letting the water run until it was warm by making out and getting each other all excited again. It was getting steamy so Will pulled away to step in the shower. He was taken off guard by the strong look of lust in Paul's eyes. He was used to Sonny looking at him like that, but he didn't expect it from Paul.

"You really like what you see."

"Please tell me you didn't doubt that."

"Well, no. Not exactly. I mean, I'm here."

"Then what?"

"I'm sure I don't compare to who you could have if you looked." Will knew his insecurities would probably always be with him.

Paul led Will into the shower and soaped up a bath sponge. As he washed every inch of his body, Paul told him what good he saw in him because it certainly outweighed any mistakes that came with life.

"You listen to me. You are a talented writer. You're persistent in your pursuits. You're a devoted and loving father. A loyal friend. You have an infectious smile and laugh. AND you are gorgeous."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because, apparently, you either don't know or don't completely believe all those things about you. And several months ago, you wouldn't let me think less of myself for my career ending. You encouraged me to find a new part of myself as a retired pitcher and as a gay man. You're good at building a person up. I want you to focus that kind of energy on yourself. Can you do that for me?"

"I can try."

"Good." And then he sealed the promise with a scorching hot kiss that took his breath away. By the time they were done pleasuring each other, the water was running cold and they were yelping and scurrying to grab towels and clean sheets so they could snuggle warmly in bed.

Will was pretty sure at this point that it was impossible for Gabi not to have heard anything, but to make sure, Will creeped downstairs to grab their shirts. He saw his phone on the end table and noticed he had a message. A quick check showed that it was from Sonny.

* _Imagine the soap stare ending the TV show would have had._ *


	27. Chapter 27

A/N #1 - The tattoo that is talked about is an actual one that Guy Wilson has on his beautiful body. (The designer briefs too)

A/N #2 – I remember on Days Paul saying that he could be himself with Sonny and that he could be a complete goofball. There's a short goofball moment in this chapter.

 **Chapter 27**

When Will returned to Paul's room, Paul immediately knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong? Gabi's awake and upset?" Paul guessed.

"No." He held up his phone.

"Another murder?"

"Thankfully, no."

"Maybe you should just tell me," Paul suggested.

"I haven't even read the text, yet, and I don't want to bother you with it."

"It's Sonny."

Will nodded and stood still unsure of what to do.

"You're not bothering me. I promise. You look cold." Paul held up the bed covers as an invitation to join him.

Will got under the sheets and blanket and snuggled in. He looked at his phone and hesitantly opened the text, glanced it over and read it out loud.

 _Gabi sent me a pic of Ari and a dog named Hero you want to adopt. I wish you would have talked to me first. Don't you think Ari's a little young? What if the dog is too aggressive with her? I'm still her dad, too. We make decisions together_.

"I suppose he's right. I should have talked to him," Will conceded.

"He leaves, doesn't know when he's returning, doesn't even know if he's returning to you and Ari when he does decide to come back… from half way around the world… and he wants to give permission about getting a dog. You're not a child."

"Relationships take two people working together."

"Exactly. And you and Gabi are working together. Sonny opted out."

"He runs when things get complicated. It's what he does, but he always comes back," Will defended.

"But it leaves scars. They can fade, but they never go away completely."

"I noticed your surgical scar is fading." Will turned to examine it more closely. Paul was still shirtless despite the chilly air.

Paul lifted the covers to see Will's torso. "Is this where you were shot?" he asked as he ran his fingers over the scar.

"That's the place. Are we going to compare battle scars now?" Will asked with a laugh.

"I'm more interested in this lion tattoo." It was large and on his upper right thigh at the underwear edge.

"That happened when I was still in high school and I was trying to act cocky and cool with my teammates."

"It definitely says cocky." Paul scooted down and began to pepper kisses on the lion on Will's thigh and then kept going to his main target that was already beginning to stand at attention underneath Will's designer low-rise black briefs with purple trim. Will's choice of underwear was what probably most surprised him when they became intimate months ago.

"Are you ready for round two?" Will asked with a cocky grin to match his tat.

"Does this mean you don't regret being with me tonight?"

"No. I don't think I need to feel guilty, either. Maybe that makes me a bad person, but he told me he doesn't even know if he loves me anymore. He doesn't even know when he's coming back. This is a real separation, not a work trip that it's disguised as."

"Do you still love him?"

"Well, yeah. But it's changed somehow."

"Like he'll always be in your heart but it wasn't meant to last and it's time to move on?"

"Maybe. I'm beginning to see that this separation is good for both of us. Like we're remembering who we are as individuals."

"That's a nice way to look at it."

"There's something better to look at," Will said with lustful eyes.

"I like the sound of that."

"I like the sounds you make when you're getting close to coming."

"I like hearing you say my name when you're coming."

"Paul?"

"Yeah."

"It's time to kiss me."

It was music to Paul's ears, but he kept that to himself. He had some major kissing to do. His mouth, neck, nipples and pecs he thought to himself. That rhymed. It could be a rap. And then Paul just busted out laughing as he rolled onto his back.

" _What the hell?_ " thought Will. He propped himself up on his forearms and just stared at Paul laughing. "Do I wanna know?"

"Do you like rap music about body parts?"

"Like a rap version of hands, fingers, knees and toes?"

"Oh, hey, that's good. You can make a child's rap CD. It would be better than the music Ari has right now. However, my rap wouldn't be PG."

"Is this rated R rap just for me," Will acted seductively.

"Most definitely."

"Does it include fellatio and… toellatio?"

"Fuck!"

"You're in luck," Will answered.

Paul chuckled, but it was soon swallowed with Will's passionate kisses and underwear removal.

They kept each other busy long into the night. There was no way Will was going to be awake before Gabi and Arianna.


	28. Chapter 28

A/N – Was it just comfort sex? That's what Gabi thinks, but what do Will and Paul think?

 **Chapter 28**

Monday arrived without the sound of an alarm or pattering feet in footy pajamas. Will's and Paul's senses were alerted by the knock on a door and by the wonderful smell of coffee.

"Good morning." Gabi called a little too cheerfully. "We need to talk."

"She knows," Will and Paul said in unison.

"Just a minute, Gabi," Paul called back.

"What happened to my underwear?" Will whisper yelled.

Paul grabbed two navy t-shirts from his top drawer and threw one at Will. Then he grabbed two pair of gray boxer briefs and did the same. Once they were presentable, Paul opened his bedroom door.

"Oh, cute. You're matching," Gabi said sarcastically.

Will rolled his eyes. "Where's Ari? Still sleeping?"

"She's watching Pretty Princess. Princess Alexa is a great babysitter in desperate times." She handed over the two mugs of coffee. She wanted them focused.

"And this is one of those times?" asked Paul. He actually looked nervous.

Gabi didn't think that needed an answer. It was obvious.

"The two of you planned to keep this thing between you platonic and you could only manage one night?" she asked incredulously. "Seriously?"

Paul looked over at Will to get his reaction. He looked annoyed while Paul was just feeling embarrassed.

"Do you at least know why this happened?"

"Why does there need to be a reason?" asked Will.

"It was comfort sex," Gabi volunteered her conclusion.

"Possibly," Will admitted.

"You don't see any long-term problems with that?" she countered.

"I don't consider Arianna a problem. There were challenges, but she's worth every one of them."

"So whatever consequences come from this," Gabi waved her hand back and forth between them, "Paul is worth it to you?" she asked Will.

"Yes," Will said resolutely. Paul smiled for the first time since they woke up.

"And Will is worth it to you?" she asked Paul.

"Yes," Paul answered firmly, grin still in place.

"Then we need to establish some rules."

"Gabi, this is Paul's house."

"What kind of rules?" Paul asked.

"Keep the noise down. No more " _Oh Paul_ " and " _Oh Will_."

"So you heard that," Will stated what he already assumed at the same time as Paul said, "Oh my god." He was used to the privacy of hotel rooms.

"I get it. You're hot for each other, but I don't want to hear it."

"Done," said Paul. "Anything else?"

"No kissing in front of Ari. It will confuse her. She's smart."

"I agree," Paul said and Will nodded.

"I won't say anything to Sonny," Gabi promised. "But please talk to your counselor about this today. Please?"

"You go to counseling?" asked Paul.

"Yes and yes."

Gabi was about to leave when she stopped and turned back around. "And Will…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm still Team WilSon."

~OXOXO~

Paul was concerned when Will left the house for his appointment with Dr. Lewis before heading to TBD for his stake-out. They hadn't had a chance to talk about the previous night after Gabi woke them up. He knew he shouldn't cling to hope, but he liked Will… a lot. He certainly hadn't planned to. He was his ex-lover's husband. Up until a few weeks ago, he thought he still wanted to marry Sonny. Now he realized that was just a safety net out of fear of the unknown. Although nobody since him had compared, why else hadn't he looked for him for so many years?

Will, on the other hand, sparked his interest right away despite seeing Sonny again. He trusted him right away even though it meant leaving his closet. He was absolutely devastated when he found out he was taken and the lengths he would go to keep Sonny. Gabi could be right; Paul could just be a comfort to get over Sonny. He didn't like the sound of that, but he had to find out. He needed the truth and so did Will. The only way he knew how to figure it out was by spending more time with him. So he decided he would become the best friend possible to Will, see what else they have in common, and then maybe try and compare it to what Will had with Sonny. Maybe fate brought Will and him together rather than bringing him back to Sonny. Or maybe Sonny was meant for Will even though they met when Will was so young and vulnerable when stepping out of his closet.

Surveillance, serial killers and Chad couldn't be their whole lives even though it was important. There were other things they wanted to do like go out with Dave and Kyle. Maybe they could come over for a barbecue. And Dave could bring his girlfriend. Gabi would probably love that. Seeing a Giants game would be a little bit harder to do. If he was being honest, he wanted to go alone with Will. That would mean someone else would have to keep Gabi and Ari safe.

~OXOXO~

Although Will wasn't happy about missing his usual Monday run after counseling, he was glad he went to see Dr. Lewis. Otherwise, he probably would be spending too much time overthinking everything with Paul instead of watching patrons at TBD.

As usual with Dr. Lewis, he had homework. So as he sat in a corner booth at TBD, he had his laptop open with two windows: one for jotting down notes on his people-watching and one for journaling about his thoughts and feelings and what he'd learned and worked out already. It was another way from overthinking it all. If it was recorded and saved for future reference, there was no need to continue thinking about the same things over and over again. Good thing he was a writer or he'd probably think this assignment was crazy.

Before he got started, he wanted to get Sonny's text reply over with. He opened his messages and couldn't help but smile.

Chad had great timing. "Something good?" he asked.

"A text from Paul."

"Well, what did he say that has you so giddy?"

"You're nosy, I'm not giddy and I haven't even read it yet."

"You're so easy to figure out," Chad said. Will ignored him.

"Whatever it is, it's probably better than the one I got from Sonny. He's waiting for my reply."

"I'll let you get to it. Do you want your usual?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Chad walked away and he went to his blank people-watching page.

#1 - Man with dark hair – 40ish maybe – looks kind of like Uncle Austin – sitting alone with a drink and a paper – doesn't look out of place but is watching Chad interact with customers

Will reread his text from Sonny _: (_ Gabi sent me a pic of Ari and a dog named Hero you want to adopt. I wish you would have talked to me first. Don't you think Ari's a little young? What if the dog is too aggressive with her? I'm still her dad, too. We make decisions together.)

(Sonny, if you were in Salem of course I would have included you in this decision. Gabi and I made this decision together. Hero has been living with a foster family and our visit proved he's well-oriented with children.)

Will read his text from Paul: (What would you think about having a barbecue with Kyle, Dave & Dave's girlfriend? Hope your appointment went well.)

He replied quickly. (I think that's a great idea!)

Will hit send before he realized he didn't finish. (Good appointment. I told her nice things about you.)

Will scanned the club before he started his journal, but all he saw was a small group of elderly ladies.

Homework - Was it just comfort sex?

YES: I have a history of comfort sex.

\- Making Arianna

\- Mid-day quickie with Sonny after finding out Gabi was pregnant

\- Too soon after being shot & it hurt like hell

\- After foolishly confessing to killing Nick & Gabi went to jail. I cried. Who cries during sex?

NO:

\- Why would I risk losing Sonny with a meaningless affair?

\- I really like being around Paul.

\- Paul appreciates me. I deserve that.

MAYBE: I'm alone, I'm horny, Paul's hot, Sonny doesn't know if he loves me, Paul's helping me, Sonny runs away from me, I'm alone

VERDICT: I don't know, but I think I want it to be more.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

After a few hours, Will combined his notes with T's notes and emailed them to Chad, Paul and T and was finally ready to head to his temporary home.

~OXOXO~

Will's Notes

#1 - Man with dark hair – 40ish maybe – looks kind of like Uncle Austin – sitting alone with a drink and a paper – doesn't look out of place but is watching Chad interact with customers

#2A – Group of 4 – 2 men, 2 women – backpacks, looked like they were in college. They had a good time making jokes about the serial killer and Chad being a suspect. Aiden asked them to leave.

#2B – Aiden Jennings (Chad's lawyer) & another man about the same age who could have been a client or someone he works with. They were watching the group of 4 college students.

#2C – Creepy Clyde Weston came in for a coffee to go. Waved to Aiden who gave a fake smile and waved back.

T's Notes

Business man and woman – looked like Ken and Barbie – wanted to meet Chad, but he wasn't there yet.

~OXOXO~

Will saved and closed his windows and stood up to leave; however, someone was blocking his way.

"You want to tell me what's going on with you and Paul?" asked a stern Lucas.

Will was wondering when his dad was going to stop traveling long enough to corner him. Thankfully, he didn't make a scene at Gabi's welcome home party. If it had been his mother, he wouldn't have been so lucky.

"You want to tell me what's going on with you and Adrienne?"

"Don't get smart with me."

"I think I have a right to know what secrets the two of you are willing to share."

"So, you and Paul have secrets?"

Will sighed and sat back down. "Look, I don't know what Adrienne has told you."

"She told me that Sonny is in Paris working for Victor and that he needed space to figure things out with you and Paul. After Gabi's party, she confided in me that Justin told him not to take too long or his decision would be made for him."

"Thanks for the confirmation. Sonny left to decide which guy he wanted. Terrific."

"Tell me if I'm way off track, but it looks like he won't be getting either one of you."

"He's been leading both of us on for months. Why should he even get to decide?"

"Son, you're the one who cheated, not Sonny."

"Really, Dad? In his heart and mind he hasn't been cheating? He's been waffling between staying with me out of commitment and running back to Paul who apparently won his heart long before I came along."

"Just because Paul was first, you think that means his love for you wasn't real?"

"Sonny and I got engaged on Valentine's Day, but that wasn't the day he proposed."

"What are you talking about?"

"He proposed a month earlier and I turned him down."

"But why?"

"Because it was just the next step in relationships. He was excited that it was legal to get married and I was afraid that he was more in love with the idea of getting married than he was with me. And now…"

"What? You think you were right because you found out he proposed to Paul years ago?"

"It makes me wonder."

"This is such a mess," Lucas muttered in frustration.

"Not really. I'm actually happier than I have been in months and it's allowing me to think about my life and options more clearly. And I need you to let me."

"And what do I tell Adrienne?"

"Absolutely nothing. If she wants to talk to me herself, she can call me."

~OXOXO~

At home, Will found Paul in the kitchen taking Gabi's favorite chicken and rice casserole out of the oven.

Will lifted a brow and Paul confessed. "Gabi made it, I watched. She's upstairs with Ari."

"Perfect!"

"That's what I was thinking," Paul answered with a devilish smile before he led Will into the tiny pantry to smother him in kisses.

"Mmm. You missed me today as much as I missed you," Will hummed in pleasure against Paul's lips. "It feels good to be missed."

"I forgot what that felt like," Paul admitted. He was fully enjoying the feeling of being in Will's embrace.

"How soon before you have to leave?" Will asked about his stake-out of Chad's colleague on the hospital's trustee board.

"Well, my super-sleuthing discovered that she leaves work on Monday's and goes straight to the gym. I'll need to leave very soon, like within a half hour, in order to watch her from there to home or wherever else she wants to go."

"Then, we need to get you fed." Will leaned in for a final kiss. "But I'm not ready to share you," he pouted. Paul sucked his adorable protruding lower lip between his own causing him to groan. "Now, I definitely don't want to share you."

Paul wore a smug grin and Will pinched his ass cheek for it.

"Ouch! Dare you to try that again."

Will grabbed it instead of pinching it again.

"That's better," Paul purred against Will's lips. "Will you be awake when I get home? I know I wore you out last night."

"Well, hopefully, you won't be gone too long. Where would you like me to wait for you?"

"Would you like to wait for me in my bed?"

"I like the sound of that. And what would you like me to wear," Will continued to flirt.

"Mm, surprise me."

"Daddy? Where Daddy go, Mommy?" asked Ari who was now in the kitchen.

Will put his finger up to his lips to tell Paul to be very quiet.

"I have no idea where he and Uncle Paul could be hiding."

"Peek Boo, Daddy!" Ari said when she looked behind a kitchen chair.

"Did you check that door?" Gabi asked. She helped Ari with the pantry door and Will peeked his head out and scared the gajeebies out of his little girl.

"Eeeeee!" Ari squealed and ran away to the family room in giggles followed closely by her dad. Paul laughed at the sudden pandemonium.

"She's all yours, Will. Good luck getting her to settle down to eat," called Gabi.

Paul went to find Will and Ari. He'd eat in the car if he had to in order to spend more time with them.


	30. Chapter 30

A/N #1 – I'm overwhelmed by the amazing comments I've received here and other social media sites, especially for the last chapter. Thank you for your compliments and encouragement!

A/N #2 – HTS = Horton Town Square; SK = serial killer; SFG = San Francisco Giants baseball team (Text abbreviations)

A/N #3 – So sorry for the wait. I had a tough time with getting this chapter written. I hope it was worth the wait!

 **Chapter 30**

"Why am I watching Abigail? Why did we think this was a good idea?"

T called Will and voiced his frustrations. He was having doubts anyone would go after Abigail to frame Chad. Who would believe Abigail choosing Ben over Chad would cause him to kill her so no one else can have her? DiMeras get the ones they love back; they don't kill them.

"And besides, she has Ben with her at all times."

"Just give it another half hour, and if they haven't gone home for the night, call it quits," Will suggested.

Ten minutes later, T sent him a surprising text. "Scratch that. Ben just left her in the HTS after dark. Doesn't he know there is a SK on the loose?"

Will replied, "Do you see anyone watching her?"

"Negative. Maybe Ben wasn't worried because he is the SK. LMAO!"

Will rolled his eyes even though he couldn't be seen. T would always make him wonder about his sanity. His phone beeped and he wondered what other foolish idea he had, but the text was from Paul. With a goofy grin, he opened it up.

"Good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"

"Bad news." Will was already pretty sure of what the good news was.

"Shawna's husband is out of town and her high school son is MIA. I hope he comes home soon. "

"Is the good news that SFG just clinched their place in the playoffs?"

"I remember someone who said they wanted to see a game."

Texting always made Will feel bolder. "If you mean me, I'll show you a great time."

"I'll book the tickets tomorrow. Do I get a pregame showing tonight?"

"I plan on putting on my best performance tonight."

"Something's going down."

"What? I thought for sure something would be going up."

"LOL"

"Don't leave me hanging. What's going down?"

"Unless SKs are now knocking on doors with a bouquet of flowers, I'd say Shawna is having an affair."

"Sounds like she's being taken care of. Please come home so I can take care of you."

"On my way."

~OXOXO~

On the home, Paul beat himself up about the fact that Shawna wasn't the only one cheating on her husband. Will was also cheating on his husband and he was helping him do it. Sure, Sonny wasn't exactly the faithful, doting husband that Will deserved, but neither of them were emotionally committed to the marriage anymore. Was it Paul's fault or would it have been like that if he wasn't in Salem? He didn't know.

Paul found Will on his bed in a wickedly hot pose wearing his Giants home jersey unbuttoned half-way down, a pair of his tiny black briefs and a sexy smile. All thoughts of his earlier worries flew out the window.

"If you ever stood at bat when I was on the mound, you would've been too much of a distraction to pitch a fastball, curve ball or anything worth my salary."

Will smirked. "I'm confident I would've been wearing a full uniform."

"But with that ass in tight baseball pants, I would've been imagining you in much less."

Will crawled seductively to the end of the bed where Paul now stood transfixed on watching his body move.

"You need to be wearing much less," Will whispered to him as he untucked and pulled off his tight long-sleeved black t-shirt.

Paul moved to finish unbuttoning his jersey hanging precariously on Will's body but was stopped. "Not yet," he whispered. Paul nodded wondering what Will had in store for them when he was led by the hand to the bedroom window.

Paul's eyebrows shot straight up. "In front of the window? When you said you were putting on your best performance, I didn't know you meant _we_ were putting on a performance for the neighbors," Paul said nervously.

"That's not our backyard out there." Paul liked the sound of " _our_ " backyard. "It's the ballpark. And this is our private suite to watch the game."

Paul laughed, still feeling a little nervous even though it was highly doubtful anyone walking or driving by would be able to see them even with many of the trees' leaves now lying on the ground. Will encouraged him by groping his ass and palming his hard cock over his strained clothes. Paul practically melted into Will's embrace and was rewarded with a passionate kiss.

Paul discarded Will's straining underwear but left the jersey on his lover. "You look and feel so delicious," he complimented Will before turning him around to face the window in front of him. "I'm going to take you from behind, right here in front of this fuckin' window," Paul growled. "Don't move."

Paul grabbed the supplies from the bedside table and quickly took off the rest of his clothes.

After prepping Will, Paul whispered in Will's ear, "You ready for me, Baby?"

"Oh yeah! I want to feel it hard and fast!"

Paul did just that; he plowed into Will hard and fast while he held Will with one arm around his waist and the other braced against the window sill leaving Will to stroke his own cock.

"Is this what you want…"

"Paul."

"…to do at the game, Will?" Paul asked.

The image was too much for Will and he came hard. Paul took the jersey off of Will, slipped out and carried his limp body to the bed, laid him on his back and finished inside of him. Collapsed on top, he rode out his intense orgasm.

"Did we win the game?" Paul joked.

"You know we did," Will chuckled.

"That was an amazing fantasy."

"Mmm. Thanks for indulging me."

"Anytime you want to share another, I'm game."


	31. Chapter 31

A/N – This chapter may give the impression that all is said and done and only the murder plot needs to be solved, but there is so much more. I know I've said this before, but Sonny will be back soon. And this time, he won't be running away quietly. Who will win Will's heart? Prepare for yours to be confused and torn just like our guys: Will, Paul AND Sonny.

 **Chapter 31**

Will and Paul were enjoying their afterglow with Will lying in Paul's embrace with his head on Paul's chest. They talked about their upcoming trip to San Francisco and things like they'd like to do besides seeing the game. Paul knew Will was getting sleepy and he needed to ask what was on his mind soon.

"So what does going to San Francisco mean for you and Sonny?" Paul wasn't ready to go straight for the " _What does going to San Francisco mean for you and me?_ "

"I look at Sonny's absence as a separation. Sonny isn't choosing to be in Paris because of the job. He is choosing to be in Paris because he doesn't want to be with me. As I said before, I'm not going to feel guilty about us."

"Not guilty about comfort sex or something more?"

"Obviously, I've been forced to think about that today. Although it's possible that's what it could be, there is also reason to believe that it's more than that or not that at all. I don't know for sure, but what I do know…"

Will propped himself up on his elbow to look at Paul. "What I do know is that I'm happier than I've been in a long time. I don't want to walk away from that, from you, before I know what it means."

"What if it means more? Doesn't it make it more complicated to want to be with two different men? I mean, you still love Sonny. You said it was different, but still… isn't it natural for love to evolve in a marriage?"

"Writer and lecturer, Joseph Campbell, once said, " _We must be willing to get rid of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us_.""

"I'll wait for you to know what you think is right for you. I'm not going to push you into anything you don't want."

"What do _you_ want exactly?"

"I want this amazing person I see in bed with me to want me as much as I want him. What that develops into will take time. I'm not going to pretend to have a crystal ball and predict the future. But I want to explore what this means, you and me. I don't want regrets of not knowing what could have been. I've learned my lesson."

Will knew what that meant to Paul. A few months ago, he would've given anything to change the past to marry Sonny and risk losing his career. And now here he was, with Will, not wanting to have regrets and moving forward. There were no guarantees. He could gain the world or lose it.

Will was exhausted, but he wanted to feel that deep connection with Paul again, now with all that had been said. He leaned in and gave him a deep, passionate and loving kiss. Paul had no problem reading Will's intentions and feelings. There was no guard he was putting up. He exposed his own feelings with every look and touch. Earlier, they had passionate, fantasy sex, but this time was completely different. It wasn't voiced, but they poured everything into making love, not just sex.

~OXOXO~

The next few days were busy with the same old stake-outs, meeting with Chad and T and bringing Hero home and getting him adjusted to his new home. They even made time to go back to The Spot with Dave and Kyle when Gabi and Arianna were visiting with Rafe and they made plans to have a barbecue when they got back home from San Francisco. And each night, Will slept with Paul in his bedroom where they made love and then talked well into the night like a couple of teenagers at summer camp. Sleeping in the next morning became a habit both knew they needed to break when they got back from their mini vacation.

Paul made arrangements for Will and him to go see a Giants play-off home game and Will secretly met with a lawyer that had no connections to Salem and the people who lived there. If everything went as planned, Sonny would be getting served with divorce papers within a week.

The night before their trip, while the guys packed for warmer weather, Gabi and Ari packed to stay a couple of days with Abigail at the Horton house. Abigail was looking forward to time with Gabi, her god-daughter, JJ and her mom. Ben wasn't too pleased, but Abigail talked him into helping T take care of Hero at Paul's house and spending time with friends or possibly picking up extra shifts at The Edge.

That night as they were settling into bed, Will reached for his phone to set the alarm and he noticed he missed a call from Chad when he was saying goodnight to Ari.

 _It happened again. Another murder. Thank God I don't know the person. Maybe this nightmare is done for me_.

Will searched online to get information and was surprised by what he saw.

"What's wrong?" asked Paul.

"That's the woman who's been at TBD twice this week asking to see Chad, but he wasn't there either time."


	32. Chapter 32

A/N – The L.A. cheating did not happen in this story.

 **Chapter 32**

Sonny knew something was wrong back at home. Gabi wasn't herself when he skyped with Arianna. Sure, she'd been in prison and that could have rightly changed her, but he couldn't shake the feeling. Will had reached out and he blew him off. Worse than that, he was hurtful. And coupled with the fact that Paul no longer wanted him, it shook all confidence he had left in himself. For the first time since he'd arrived in Paris, he was finally starting to really think about his life back in Salem and his future.

It was hard not to lash out at Will. He was the source of most of his pain. Deep down, he wanted him to hurt as much as he was. And Paul, Sonny didn't want or need him. But he made him feel better. Paul made him feel wanted when he wasn't feeling good enough for Will. But he also knew that despite how things turned out with Will, he knew he wouldn't go back to Paul. They were in the past and he figured out that Will was his soulmate and it was for the best that things didn't work out with Paul years ago.

However, Sonny couldn't get past the fact that Will and Paul had slept together. He just couldn't get the images out of his head. Never before had it bothered Sonny that men he'd been with had been with other men in their pasts. Of course, he never gave it a first thought with his one-night-stands and he'd had plenty of them when traveling through Europe. But it never bothered him in any of his previous relationships either. Just with Will.

He'd told Will it was because they were married. It's true he shouldn't have to think about his husband with other men. But it was more than that. He believed that he and Will would always just have each other for the rest of their lives and for Sonny he was lucky to be with a man who'd never feel love like that from another. It made Sonny feel special. He didn't want to share him with anyone else. Will was his unlike the guys that came before him. However, he was finally starting to understand Will's inappropriate blurt out the day he found out about his cheating. "You've been with other guys." It made him so angry at the time. And Will's timing sucked; that's for sure. But he was pointing out that Sonny could eventually get past the images in his mind, not the cheating per se. Will had to learn to do that. It bothered him early in their relationship and it made Sonny angry to be questioned about his past to the point that he pushed Will away and even told him they were a mistake. Of all things to say to Will, a fragile man who felt like he was born a mistake and pushed and shoved between people, never having one place to call home, he said they were a mistake. How Will ever overcame that, he would never know. Will thought he carried most of the imperfections in their relationship, but most likely it was more of an equal footing.

The sad part was that he actually believed Will wouldn't cheat again. Will learns from his mistakes when there is a lot to lose and most likely didn't even think about the consequences through his lust. Only after did he think about how his impulsive actions brought him close to losing the one thing he couldn't stand to lose… a marriage. But was that all it was? Beating his parents at their own game? Staying married just once? Or did he really love him? Was Sonny THE one? He wasn't sure. And it killed him inside and brought him full circle to feeling like not enough for Will. After all, as Paul honestly pointed out, he'd never experienced another man before Sonny and most likely never experienced a man come on to him the way Paul had.

~OXOXO~

Will and Paul were almost done with their four hour flight to California and Will still couldn't shake his worries over the latest murder. Things had been so calm for about a week that he was actually relaxed about the trip. But now, he was worried about Chad as well as Gabi and Ari even though they'd be with the Deverauxes the whole time they were gone.

Paul reached over and held Will's hand for comfort and was rewarded with a smile.

"You can call them when we land."

Will nodded.

"And when we get to the hotel, I promise to make you forget about everything for a while." He kissed the back of his hand to seal the deal.

Will thought for a moment that he was falling in love with Paul Narita, but then wondered if he would even know what that felt like. The only thing he had to compare the feelings to was his love for Sonny, the first and only guy he'd been with before Paul. And look how that turned out.

For a split second, Paul noticed something in Will's eyes. Was it love? He'd felt it during their intimate times together, but he didn't want to be too hopeful. His own feelings for Will had been growing for a while and he was pretty confident he'd grown to love Will Horton like he suspected he could many months ago during their interviews. He'd even admitted it to Sonny before he knew he was married to Will. Surprisingly, Sonny had never questioned him about his feelings for Will after he found out about them.

Like he told Will, he didn't want to wonder what could have been with him. He was going to continue to give them all of himself with no regrets. He felt like the next couple of days were going to be a turning point for them.


End file.
